SCOTLAND

Gourock Transport Interchange

David Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with Network Rail Scotland on the Gourock Transport Interchange.

Alistair Darling: I have regular discussions with Network Rail about various topics. However, the proposed Gourock Interchange is a matter for the Scottish Executive and Inverclyde Council.

Economic Inactivity

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the level of economic inactivity in Scotland.

Anne McGuire: The latest Labour Market statistics published show 680,000 people in Scotland aged between 16 and 64 economically inactive.

Employment

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on employment levels in Scotland.

Alistair Darling: Employment in Scotland is at historic high levels. The number employed has risen by 119,000 since spring 1997 and the employment rate is close to the UK average, comparing favourably with the rates of our main competitors.

Electoral Arrangements

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to announce the chairman of his commission on boundary differences and voting systems in Scotland.

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to announce the chairman of his commission on boundary differences and voting systems in Scotland.

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to announce the chairmanship of his commission on boundary differences and voting systems in Scotland.

Alistair Darling: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of earlier today to my right hon. Friend the Member for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley (Mr. Foulkes).

Electoral Arrangements

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Scottish Executive regarding the introduction of new election systems.

Alistair Darling: As I indicated during Second Reading of the Scottish Parliament (Constituencies) Bill on 9 February, in setting out the proposals for a commission to review boundary differences and voting systems, I consulted the First Minister, who welcomed taking the debate forward.

Affordable Housing

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer regarding fiscal measures to encourage the provision of affordable housing in Scotland.

Anne McGuire: My right hon. Friend has discussions from time to time with the Chancellor on a range of matters. The Government look forward to Kate Barker's final report on the issues affecting housing supply and proposals for addressing these constraints. This will be issued shortly and it would be unwise for me to make any comment in advance.

Financial Sector

David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Executive on the performance of the financial sector in Scotland.

Alistair Darling: I regularly meet Scottish Executive colleagues to discuss matters relating to the Scottish economy. The financial services sector in Scotland remains of crucial importance to the health of the Scottish economy. Output has continued to grow in recent years and the sector currently employs over 100,000 people in Scotland.

Common Agricultural Policy

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to visit the Scottish Parliament to discuss the implications of common agricultural policy reform.

Alistair Darling: I have no plans to visit the Scottish Parliament to discuss the implications of common agricultural policy reform.

ADVOCATE-GENERAL

Devolution

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Advocate-General what devolution issues have been raised with her since 10 February.

Lynda Clark: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Argyll and Bute (Mr. Reid).

Human Rights

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Advocate-General what European Convention on Human Rights issues she has scrutinised in the past month.

Lynda Clark: Since 10 February I received intimation of, and scrutinised, 39 devolution issues, all of which concerned Convention rights. They related to matters such as pre-trial delay, the system for setting the punishment part of life sentences, failure to communicate information required by sea fishing measures and self-incrimination. In the civil sphere, the issues of refusal of scheduled monument consent and breach of prison rules were considered. I also routinely consider Convention rights in the context of my other ministerial functions.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

House of Lords Reform

Tony Wright: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, he will make a statement on reform of the second chamber.

David Taylor: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, when proposals for completing the reform of the House of Lords will be published; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Turner: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on the functions of the upper House.

Christopher Leslie: The Government set out proposals to remove the remaining hereditary peers from the House of Lords in the consultation paper issued in September. Without a consensus in Parliament on other issues, such as the wider composition of the second chamber, the Government will make progress where we can, keeping an open mind on proposals for further reform.

Lord Chancellor

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on the continued existence of the office of Lord Chancellor.

Christopher Leslie: The Government have announced their intention to abolish the Office of Lord Chancellor, and introduced legislation to do so on 24 February. The Government believe that it is no longer tenable for a Cabinet Minister to head the judiciary. The Government see this, together with setting up a Supreme Court for the UK independent of the legislature and a new Judicial Appointments Commission, as important steps in the modernisation of our constitution and our judicial system.

Lord Chancellor

George Osborne: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs when Ministers in the Department last met the Lord Chief Justice to discuss plans to abolish the position of Lord Chancellor.

Christopher Leslie: My noble Friend the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs and Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice regularly discuss judicial issues and constitutional reform.
	They last met to discuss constitutional reform on the 18 December 2003. Subsequent to this meeting, they have also had several telephone and other conversations in which constitutional reform formed a part.

Witness Protection

Jane Griffiths: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what measures he plans to encourage witnesses and victims to come forward and give evidence in court.

Christopher Leslie: Last July, the Government published a National Strategy setting out the steps we are taking to deliver improved services to victims and witnesses in the criminal justice system.
	At its heart is the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Bill, introduced last November and containing a number of measures aimed at encouraging more witnesses to come to court and give evidence.

Supreme Court

Chris Grayling: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on the proposed supreme court.

Simon Burns: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on the establishment of a supreme court.

Christopher Leslie: The Government are committed to the objective of the Constitutional Reform Bill being enacted in this Parliament.

Bail (Northern Ireland)

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what representations he has received on the law regarding access to bail in Northern Ireland.

John Spellar: I have been asked to reply.
	During the course of the Government's public consultation on (what were then) proposals for a Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 2003, several responses were received which included comments on the legislative proposals in respect of bail. In its recent report, 'The Illegal Drugs Trade and Drug Culture in Northern Ireland', the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee made recommendations in respect of the granting of bail in cases of drug trafficking and in cases where representations have been made against bail being granted. The Government have also been working closely with criminal justice agencies on the law and the operation of the bail process.
	In recognising that bail is an important issue, the Government have brought forward a number of new measures including the creation of new offences of failing to surrender to bail, and a new power of arrest for breach of bail conditions in the aforementioned Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 2003. Further provisions are being created under the Justice (NI) Bill to facilitate the police in bail enforcement. These new measures will provide the prosecution with a right of appeal against the granting of bail by a magistrates court, as well as the creation of new offences of failing to surrender to bail in Scheduled cases and an increased maximum sentence for the same offences in non-scheduled cases.

Magistrates Courts (Wales)

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many magistrates courts have been closed in Wales since 1997.

Christopher Leslie: MCCs are not required by statute to inform my Department of proposed courthouse closures that are not subject to an appeal. The following table shows that there have been 10 magistrates court closures in Wales since 1997, compiled from the information that is available to my Department.
	
		
			 Magistrates court Date of closure 
		
		
			 Machynlleth 31 March 2003 
			 Lampeter 9 June 2003 
			 Tenby 30 June 2003 
			 Bridgenorth 31 January 2002 
			 Abergele 31 December 2000 
			 Corwen 31 December 1998 
			 Bargoed 31 December 1997 
			 Monmouth 31 December 1997 
			 Pontlottyn 31 December 1997 
			 Pontypool 31 December 1997

Recruitment

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the cost of recruitment of civil servants for the Department or its predecessors was in each financial year since 1996–97, broken down by (a) delegated or contracted out recruitment procedures and (b) recruitment procedures carried out by the Department.

David Lammy: Information about recruitment costs is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate costs.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

Smoking Room

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Chairman of the Catering Committee when the Smoking Room was renamed Members' Smoke Room as set out on the survey card for that room.

Dennis Turner: I am happy to be able to reassure the hon. Member for Lichfield that the Members' Smoking Room has not been renamed. Reference to the "Members' Smoke Room" was an error and the customer feedback cards bearing this title have been withdrawn. I thank the hon. Member for pointing out this mistake.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Parliamentary Questions

Anne McIntosh: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners when he will reply to the question tabled for oral answer by the hon. Member for Vale of York, reference 158945.

Stuart Bell: My answer was submitted on 8 March.
	In that answer, I said that in 1996 the total stipend cost for parochial clergy (not including Employer's National Insurance contributions) was approximately £130.5 million. In 2003 the figure was approximately £151.8 million.

St. Giles, Imber

Andrew Murrison: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what plans the Commissioners have for the future of St. Giles's Church, Imber.

Stuart Bell: The Commissioners had a helpful meeting on 19 January about the future of this church with Ministers from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Ministry of Defence. In particular the possibility of an endowment to facilitate the vesting of the church in the Churches Conservation Trust was discussed. There will be further discussions between the Ministers and the Commissioners are waiting to hear the outcome.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Abattoirs

Edward O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs where information is held about the number of charges brought against abattoirs for breaches of meat hygiene and animal welfare regulations which are withdrawn before they come to court.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 11 March 2004
	Information about the number of charges brought against abattoirs that are withdrawn before they come to court is recorded on individual case files.

Animal Welfare

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will undertake a welfare study on deer at the Baronsdown deer sanctuary.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department is not intending to undertake a survey on the welfare of wild deer at Baronsdown deer sanctuary

Animal Welfare

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether any deer carcases from the Baronsdown deer sanctuary, suspected of being infected with bovine tuberculosis, will be disposed of at an appropriate plant under the EU Animal By-Products Regulation.

Ben Bradshaw: The Animal By-Products Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 requires, among other things, that wild animals suspected of being infected with diseases communicable to animals and humans, such as bovine TB, are disposed of using one of the following methods:
	Incineration;
	Rendering in an approved plant followed by incineration; or
	Pressure rendering in an approved plant followed by landfill.

Animal Welfare

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make it her policy to use the proposed Animal Welfare Bill to ban the sale and use of electronic shock collars.

Ben Bradshaw: We do not expect the proposed Animal Welfare Bill to set out detail on what equipment may or may not be used on animals. But we anticipate that the Bill will provide powers for the Secretary of State to make regulations or issue codes of practice on such points, in order to improve animal welfare. Whether these powers will be used in respect of electronic dog collars has yet to be decided.

Carbon Emissions

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the annual level of carbon emissions resulting from electrical appliances being left in standby mode.

Elliot Morley: The estimate of the Government's Market Transformation Programme is that consumer electronics, home computing equipment, domestic cooking equipment and office equipment left in stand-by mode accounted for approximately 600,000 tonnes of carbon (6.4TWh) in the UK in 2002.
	There is further energy consumption, for which we do not have firm estimates at present, from washing machines, dishwashers and other white goods which have a stand-by mode; from consumer electronic equipment using an external power supply that continues to consume energy when plugged in but not in use; and from domestic personal computer equipment where the stand-by facilities are not properly enabled. Taken together, these sources of consumption may bring the overall figure to around one million tonnes of carbon.
	In order to try to tackle this problem the Market Transformation Programme (www.mtprog.com) has been encouraging manufacturers to reduce both the "on" and the stand-by power consumption of household appliances through the adoption of design improvements, voluntary codes of conduct, and best practice guidelines and targets. This approach has been fairly successful in respect of televisions: an EU-wide voluntary agreement will mean that the majority of new televisions sold in the UK will soon consume around 1 watt of power in stand-by mode rather than the 3–8 watts consumed by older models. We expect this agreement to be extended to cover DVD players shortly. A similar agreement for external power supplies aims to encourage new power supplies consuming around half a watt in stand-by mode compared to the present average of just over 2 watts.
	In addition, the Government's initiative on sustainable procurement, announced last autumn, includes a requirement for government departments which purchase computers and televisions to specify low stand-by power requirements.

Cetaceans

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action her Department is taking to prevent the accidental deaths of (a) dolphins and (b) porpoises in UK fishing activities.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government have funded a number of research projects to identify fisheries in which accidental deaths of dolphin and porpoise bycatch occurs and to develop and trial measures to reduce this bycatch. This work has identified in particular a dolphin bycatch problem in the offshore pair trawl fishery for bass. Trials of an escape grid mechanism to reduce this bycatch are currently taking place. Work has also identified that acoustic devices known as pingers are effective in reducing bycatch of harbour porpoises in fixed gear fisheries.
	Building on this and other research work this Department, along with Devolved Administrations, published in March 2003 the UK Small Cetacean Bycatch Response Strategy which made a number of recommendations for measures to reduce bycatch. As EU measures will be most effective in reducing bycatch in community waters, the implementation of this strategy will need to take account of the outcome of current discussions on European Commission proposals to reduce bycatch. I welcome the Commission proposals and I am looking for their early implementation.

Cetaceans

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action her Department is taking to support the work of the Natural History Museum in monitoring (a) porpoise and (b) dolphin deaths.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department provides funding for the Natural History Museum's Cetacean (and Turtle) Strandings Scheme, which monitors and investigates porpoise and dolphin strandings around the UK. The work is carried out in partnership with the Institute of Zoology and the Scottish Agricultural College.
	Defra and its predecessors have supported this work since 1990 and my Department is currently providing the Natural History Museum with funding of £1,610,966.00 for the scheme (for the period 2000–01 to 2005–06). This brings our total support over the last 10 years to over £2.7 million.
	The work provides valuable information on causes of, and trends in, cetacean mortality around the British Isles. It involves maintaining records of stranded cetaceans and analysing tissue and bone samples to enable their physiology and reaction to various pollutants and chemicals to be assessed. The work has developed a number of methodologies which have provided significant advances in the study of cetaceans. The maintenance of a tissue bank provides a useful source of material for many other organisations and individuals undertaking research into marine mammals. Data gleaned from this research have also been used within Defra to examine the impact on marine life of agricultural pesticides run-off, and to examine the impacts of pollutants on marine mammals.
	Investigation of cetacean strandings under this scheme contributes towards the UK's systems of monitoring bycatch under the requirements of the EC Habitats Directive, and to our commitments to study cetacean strandings under the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic and North Seas (ASCOBANS).

Cetaceans

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action her Department is taking to implement the EU Habitats Directive in respect of preventing fishing fleets from killing (a) dolphins and (b) porpoises.

Ben Bradshaw: The Habitats Directive (Council Directive 92/43/EEC) requires member states to undertake surveillance of the conservation status of cetaceans, to monitor the incidental capture and killing of cetaceans and, in the light of information gathered, to take further research or conservation measures as required to ensure incidental capture and killing does not have a significant negative impact on the species. The Department implements these requirements through support for numerous research, data collection and surveillance projects.
	The UK was one of several EU member states that provided funding for the collaborative Small Cetacean Abundance in the North Sea (SCANS) survey in 1994. The Department is now committing further funds (£275,000) to support another such survey (entitled SCANS II) to repeat and extend the work carried out in 1994.
	We have also provided funding amounting to over £2.7 million over 10 years for the Natural History Museum's long-term research into cetacean strandings in the UK. In addition, we have commissioned a number of specific research projects during the last decade monitoring bycatch levels in specific fisheries and researching potential measures to reduce bycatch. Last year the Department committed a further £1 million to more research in this area.
	In 2003 the Department also produced the UK Small Cetacean Bycatch Response Strategy consultation paper. One of the recommendations contained in the Strategy in respect of the Habitats Directive is for the UK to develop an expanded bycatch monitoring scheme to assess levels of bycatch in UK fisheries at a statistically valid level. We shall now consider how best to develop such a scheme to also take into account recent European Commission proposals for the reduction of cetacean bycatch, including requirements for monitoring.

Dairy Farming

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on her Department's response to the Colman Report on the dairy industry.

Alun Michael: The Dairy Supply Chain Forum, commissioned this report with funding from Defra, the Dairy Industry Association and the Milk Development Council, together with project advice from the NFU, in order to help inform decision making on the dairy aspects of CAP reform. The conclusions of the report were considered, along with a number of other factors, in our decision on the implementation of the Single Farm Payment in England.

Dairy Farming

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what account she took of the impact on milk prices of moving to a dynamic hybrid system of Common Agricultural Policy reform.

Alun Michael: The model of decoupled payment instituted in England should not impact on milk prices, if farmers treat their payments as decoupled. Decoupled payments are by their nature not linked to production and should not therefore be used to offset the cost of production. If some farmers treat their payments as coupled and use them to subsidise production, this will tend to reduce prices for all dairy farmers. We believe that the transition to an area based payment will result in a purer form of decoupling that will more completely break the link between production and subsidy.

Fishermen's Compensation

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many boats qualify for compensation as a result of the loss of fishing owing to the development of the Shellhaven Port facility;
	(2)  what compensation is available in respect of the loss of the Hole Haven fishery in the Thames Estuary as a result of the development of Shellhaven Port;
	(3)  if she will make a statement on the impact of the Thames Estuary P&O Shellhaven Port development application on (a) the local fishing industry and (b) the viability of the fisheries and spawning grounds.

Ben Bradshaw: Proposals for development of a new container port at London Gateway/Shellhaven are still subject to the statutory planning approvals process. Although I understand that no decisions have yet been taken, these are matters for the First Secretary of State and the Secretary of State for Transport. The developer will also require a FEPA licence from my Department but no application has yet been received.
	The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), an Executive Agency of Defra, provides expert scientific advice on marine and freshwater issues. It has contributed to the recent public inquiry into the Shellhaven scheme given the international importance of the Thames Estuary as an area for sole spawning and juvenile sole. CEFAS has recommended that further survey work be carried out and assessment made of whether seasonal restrictions on dredging may be necessary to mitigate any adverse impact.
	Compensation for the possible loss of fishing is a matter for the developer and the various fisheries organisations to reach agreement on.

Foot and Mouth

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the decision by a State Veterinary officer to renew Mr. Bobby Waugh's swill feeding licence 14 days before the foot and mouth disease outbreak began.

Ben Bradshaw: The inspection carried out at Bobby Waugh's swill feeding premises 26 days before the foot and mouth disease outbreak began was the latest in a series of routine visits that were carried out to such premises to ensure compliance with the licensing conditions. The visits that the SVS carry out were aimed at trying to ensure maintenance of acceptable standards, heightened awareness of the risks associated with this procedure and the need for these standards to be maintained, and early detection of any problems that occur.
	As no evidence was found at the time of the visit to indicate that the licensing conditions were not being complied with, the licence was renewed. I am satisfied that the visit was carried out to the standards required at the time and that the inspecting officer did everything that would reasonably have been expected to ensure compliance with the conditions.

Foot and Mouth

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action she has taken as a consequence of the recommendations contained within the EU report DG (SANCO)/3367/2001-MR Final regarding the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in the United Kingdom.

Ben Bradshaw: The recommendations in DG (SANCO) 3367/2001 were: to improve official controls over the disposal of waste food from catering establishments, and, to improve official controls over the disposal of waste food from prohibited sources at point of entry and the safe destruction of seized products.
	The report recognised that the action already taken to ban the feeding of swill to livestock that the UK introduced in May 2001, "greatly" reduced the risk of introducing and spreading FMD or CSF from waste food. Following the introduction of the ban former swill feeders and processors of waste from catering establishments were monitored. For the 12 month period after the ban visits were made to former swill feeder premises to check compliance with the new requirements. The visits took place after approximately 2 weeks, 1 month, 2 months, 6 months and 12 months from the date of the ban. Where pigs were being kept on former swill feeding premises feed samples were taken if there was reason to consider that meat or meat products were being fed. Where non-compliance was found the local authorities have taken enforcement action.
	Additionally we have instigated a rolling action plan to maintain awareness of the importance of disposing of food waste safely. We consider that we have in place all the necessary controls but also, as part of our action plan, we write annually to the enforcement authorities that visit catering establishments reminding them of the provisions of the Animal By-Products legislation. We have also had assistance from the Environment Agency concerning disposal at landfill sites and inspections of these by the State Veterinary Service have been instigated. These actions will be repeated as part of our rolling plan. Other actions include providing advice to new pig keepers on restrictions on what may be fed to their pigs and the identification of new pig keepers. We are also concerned about the disposal of waste food by the general public and are considering a general awareness campaign. This is a matter of the utmost concern and we shall not cease in our actions aimed at ensuring that the risks from waste food are minimised.

Forestry Commission

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the Forestry Commission as to the advisability of issuing (a) restoration agreements and (b) fines for those who unwittingly offend.

Ben Bradshaw: I have not had any discussions with the Forestry Commission on restoration agreements as the Forestry Commission do not issue such agreements.

GM Crops

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the results of the GM herbicide review undertaken by the Swedish herbicide authorities on behalf of the EU; and whether these results will inform her decision on the granting of herbicide approval for Liberty herbicide to be used in the management of Chardon LL fodder maize.

Alun Michael: The EU review of glufosinate ammonium is ongoing. Officials in the Pesticides Safety Directorate received a copy of the Swedish Authorities' draft assessment report in December 2003 and a series of EU expert working groups are due to meet over the summer to discuss various aspects of the report. Any information arising from the report that might be relevant to the scientific evaluation of any application for the approval for the commercial use of Liberty on Chardon LL fodder maize will be taken into account along with the data submitted in support of the application itself. Only if Ministers are satisfied, on the basis of the expert advice of the independent Advisory Committee on Pesticides, that the use proposed by the applicant is safe to people and the environment will approval be granted.

Ligula Tapeworm

Peter Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if her Department will carry out research into the spread of ligula tapeworm in fish by cormorants wintering in the UK.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department has no plans to carry out research into the spread of ligula tapeworm in fish.

Operation Artemis

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the police with regard to Operation Artemis; when she last met the Chief Constable of North Wales to discuss Operation Artemis; and if she will make a statement on her policy on Operation Artemis.

Ben Bradshaw: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has had no direct discussions with the Chief Constable of North Wales concerning Operation Artemis. This Government warmly welcomes the launch of Operation Artemis by the police and other partners to combat the illegal persecution of hen harriers, which face extinction in England as a result of illegal killing.

Pesticides

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the results have been of the consultation on no crop spray buffer zones; and whether she proposes to introduce no crop spray buffer zones.

Alun Michael: There has been a substantial response to the no-spray buffer zone consultation and all the responses are currently being assessed. A range of opinions was expressed and the practical options are currently being evaluated. Once this work has been completed Ministers will be in a position to consider the way forward and take decisions.

Rights of Way (Motorcyclists)

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will meet interest groups representing motorcyclists as part of the consultation on the use of mechanically propelled vehicles on rights of way.

Alun Michael: I met representatives of motor vehicle user groups last year and I expect to meet them again in future. I have decided to wait until all responses to the consultation have been received and analysed before meeting any of the interested parties to discuss the proposals.

TREASURY

Civil Servants (Relocation)

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the greatest number of civil servants that could be moved from central London to other parts of the country; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Boateng: Sir Michael Lyons' Independent Review of Public Sector Relocation published its final report on 15 March. The report includes an assessment of the scope for relocating public sector activity from London and the South East. Copies are available in the Library of the House.

Civil Servants (Relocation)

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the initial set-up costs of relocating 20,000 civil servants away from the South East.

Paul Boateng: Sir Michael Lyons' Independent Review of Public Sector Relocation published its final report on 15 March. The report provides an estimate of the costs and savings associated with relocating public sector activity. Copies are available in the House of Commons Library.

Civil Servants (Relocation)

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to make an announcement about the relocation of civil servants away from London and the South East.

Paul Boateng: Sir Michael Lyons' Independent Review of Public Sector Relocation published its final report on 15 March. Copies are available in the Library of the House.

Job Vacancies (Crosby)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many job vacancies there were in Crosby in (a) 1997 and (b) 2003.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Claire Curtis-Thomas, dated March 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about job vacancies in Crosby. (160528)
	According to Jobcentre Plus administrative records the number of unfilled vacancies in the Crosby area was 148 on average during 1997. This represents only a proportion of all the vacancies available, as not all vacancies are notified to Jobcentres.
	Jobcentre vacancy statistics were withdrawn from National Statistics in September 2001 as a result of distortions to the data which occurred following the introduction of new administrative procedures by Jobcentre Plus. Comparable figure for vacancies in Crosby in 2003 are therefore unavailable.

Correspondence

Simon Burns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the hon. Member for West Chelmsford will receive a reply to his letter of 21 November 2003, PO Ref: 4/17287/2003.

John Healey: I have done so.

Computer Equipment (Tax Exemption)

Janet Dean: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses in (a) Burton constituency and (b) Staffordshire have benefited from the 100 per cent. tax exemption for the purchase of computer and internet equipment.

Dawn Primarolo: Information is not available to enable reliable estimates to be made.

Housing Stock Transfers

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether large-scale voluntary transfers of council housing are liable for VAT.

John Healey: There is no VAT due on large-scale voluntary transfers of council housing.

National Insurance

Julia Drown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2004, Official Report, columns 112–13W, on National Insurance, what the cost to the Treasury would be in each case.

Dawn Primarolo: A reduction in the lower earnings limit would not increase revenue from contributions, but would increase the future cost of paying contributory benefits and the cost of contracted-out rebates. I regret that it would be possible to quantify this only at disproportionate cost.

National Insurance

John Denham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many individuals pay self-employed National Insurance contributions.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer my right hon. Friend to table 10.2 of the Annual Abstract, which can be found on the ONS website www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme compendia/Aa2004/AA20Q 4.pdf.

National Insurance

John Denham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the change in payments to the National Insurance Fund that would accrue if all those paying self-employed National Insurance contributions paid at the employed rate in 2003–04.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government Actuary's Department estimates that if Class 4 contributions were paid at the Class 1 employee rate of 11 per cent. on profits, between the Lower Profits Limit and the Upper Profits Limit, and 1 per cent. on profits above the Upper Profits Limit, that the increase in National Insurance contribution accruals for the UK in 2003–04 would be £590 million. This estimate assumes that Class 1 contributions paid by the employer and Class 2 would not be paid.

Paddington Basin Hospital Project

John Wilkinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what response he has received from the promoters of the NHS Paddington Basin project to his request for a new business plan; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Boateng: The project team is carrying out a review of the outline business case for the Paddington Health Campus scheme. When this is complete, the outcome of the review will be submitted to the Department of Health.

Parliamentary Questions

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will provide a substantive answer to the questions tabled for written answer by the hon. Member for Perth, reference 157866 to 157868.

John Healey: I have done so.

Scottish Transport Group

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 9 March 2004, Official Report, column 1481W, on Scottish Transport Group Dissolution Order, what sums in addition to the £50 million reduction in the 2001–02 Scottish Departmental Expenditure limit have been received by the Treasury with respect to the Scottish Transport Group pension fund.

Paul Boateng: I refer the hon. Member to the reply which my right hon. Friend the then Chief Secretary to the Treasury gave to her on 11 April 2002, Official Report, column 577W, which described the tax treatment in relation to the pension fund.

Secondees

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the secondees from outside organisations working in his Department, stating in each case (a) the name of the person, (b) the name of the organisation, (c) the post held and (d) the start and finish dates of the secondment; and which are involved in drafting parliamentary answers.

Ruth Kelly: holding answer 11 March 2004
	Information relating to secondees is given as follows:
	
		
			 Name Organisation Employee job title Date start Expected return date 
		
		
			 Lalitha Colaco-Henry Financial Service Association Financial Service Legislation 23 September 2002 22 September 2003 
			 Clare Wilson-Thomas Christian Action Research and Education Public Policy Manager 28 November 2001 27 November 2004 
			 Geoffrey Spence Partnerships UK PFI Adviser 14 January 2002 13 January 2004 
			 Andy Graham BP Team Leader Workforce, Innovation and Reward 8 April 2002 7 April 2004 
			 Liz Corrin Pannell Kerr Foster Leading Policy Analyst 22 July 2002 21 July 2004 
			 Victoria Creed National Audit Office Accountancy Adviser 6 January 2003 5 January 2005 
			 Paul Lloyd City of London Police Fraud Investigation Officer 6 January 2003 5 January 2004 
			 Rowena Weir Australian Department of Finance Budget Officer 23 January 2003 22 January 2005 
			 Jeremy Baines HM Forces Policy Analyst 6 January 2003 5 January 2006 
			 Kate Bellamy Womens Budget Group Policy Analyst Gender 6 March 2003 30 November 2003 
			 Dan Lambeth Local Government Management Board Emergency Control Range E 24 February 2003 30 September 2005 
			 Shrupti Shah Ernst &Young Leading Policy Analyst 1 April 2003 31 August 2004 
			 Paul Sanderson Bank of England Head of Financial Stability Branch 2 June 2003 1 June 2005 
			 Ana Lasaosa Bank of England Leading Policy Analyst 23 June 2003 22 November 2003 
			 Hideki Takada Japan Finance Ministry Policy Analyst 24 July 2003 23 July 2004 
			 Bhashkaran Naidoo Health Development Agency Policy Analyst 1 September 2003 31 March 2004 
			 Charlotte Armstrong Deloitte Touche General Business Tax 8 September 2003 8 September 2005 
			 Richard Weaver Price Waterhouse Specialist in Accounting Matters 6 October 2003 31 December 2004 
			 Kerrie Quirk London School of Economics Senior Personal Assistant 3 November 2003 2 November 2004 
			 Susan Bickham Partnerships UK Personal Assistant 3 November 2003 2 November 2004 
			 Hilary Brown Bank of England Graham Review of Small Firm Loan Guarantee 21 January 2004 15 October 2004 
		
	
	Treasury staff are routinely involved in drafting parliamentary answers as the occasion demands.

Self-assessment Tax Returns

Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on progress with processing self-assessment tax returns.

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue have met their target to process 99 per cent. of returns received by 31 January by 31 March every year since self-assessment was introduced and fully expect to do so again this year.

Self-assessment Tax Returns

Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many self-assessment tax returns due by 31 January have been received by the Inland Revenue; how many are outstanding; and how many remain outstanding in relation to each of the last five tax years.

Dawn Primarolo: Details of the results for this year will be published with the Budget documentation on 17 March.
	The following table gives details for the previous five years of returns still outstanding at the end of February 2004.
	
		
			 Tax year Returns still outstanding at end of February 2004 
		
		
			 1997–98 48,392 
			 1998–99 74,313 
			 1999–2000 120,833 
			 2000–01 190,966 
			 2001–02 326,703

South Yorkshire Electorate

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the change in size of electorate for each South Yorkshire parliamentary constituency was between 2001 and 2003.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from John Pullinger to Mr. Jeff Ennis, dated 16 March 2004
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your question concerning the change in size of parliamentary electorate for each South Yorkshire parliamentary constituency between 2001 and 2003. I am replying in his absence. (161336)
	Attached is a table showing the total and percentage change of the number of registered parliamentary electors in South Yorkshire over the period 1 December 2001 to 1 December 2003.
	It should be noted that these figures represent the number of registered electors. In many cases, larger decreases may be due to 'cleaning' the registers to ensure that they accurately reflect the electorate, rather than 'real' decreases in the number of electors.
	
		Parliamentary electors on the 2001, 2002 and 2003 electoral registers: South Yorkshire
		
			  Total parliamentary electors as at 1 December:  Percentage 
			  2001 2002 2003 Change 2001–03 change 2001–03 
		
		
			 Barnsley Central 60,861 60,588 60,578 -283 -0.5 
			 Barnsley East and Mexborough 66,389 66,821 67,042 653 1.0 
			 Barnsley West and Penistone 66,498 66,988 66,886 388 0.6 
			 Don Valley 67,431 67,537 67,369 -62 -0.1 
			 Doncaster Central 65,902 65,745 65,916 14 0.0 
			 Doncaster North 62,101 61,773 61,886 -215 -0.3 
			 Rother Valley 70,350 69,202 67,682 -2,668 -3.8 
			 Rotherham 58,892 56,955 54,827 -4,065 -6.9 
			 Sheffield Central 60,169 59,979 58,708 -1,461 -2.4 
			 Sheffield, Attercliffe 68,205 67,938 67,382 -823 -1.2 
			 Sheffield, Brightside 53,601 52,781 51,031 -2,570 -4.8 
			 Sheffield, Hallam 59,110 59,274 58,236 -874 -1.5 
			 Sheffield, Heeley 61,374 60,472 59,428 -1,946 -3.2 
			 Sheffield, Hillsborough 74,771 74,820 74,595 -176 -0.2 
			 Wentworth 65,365 64,480 63,104 -2,261 -3.5 
		
	
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics.

Suspicious Transaction Reports

Mark Oaten: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) suspicious transaction reports and (b) suspicious activity reports relating to financial matters have been made in each of the last five years; and what proportion of each resulted in (i) prosecution and (ii) conviction in each year.

Caroline Flint: I have been asked to reply.
	Under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (PoCA) individuals and businesses have various obligations to make disclosures to the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) if they have grounds to believe that money laundering is taking place. These disclosure reports are usually now referred to as "Suspicious Activity Reports", but until recently were known as "Suspicious Transaction Reports".
	The number of disclosures made to NCIS in each of the last five years was as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1999 15,115 
			 2000 18,447 
			 2001 29,976 
			 2002 56,023 
			 2003 94,708 
		
	
	The information provided by disclosures is used by law enforcement agencies in a range of ways to detect crime and trace the proceeds of crime. For example, such information may contribute to an ongoing investigation or be the trigger for a new one, or may be held on the relevant intelligence databases for use in future cases.
	Given the variety of ways in which this information is used, it is not possible to link particular disclosures with particular prosecutions and convictions. But the reporting system is a key element of the UK's defences against money laundering. In their 2003 review for the Government of the system, the consultants KPMG examined a sample of disclosures. Of those whose impact could be specifically identified, one-third were found to have contributed to a positive law enforcement outcome such as prosecution, confiscation of criminal proceeds or cash seizure. More recent analysis by NCIS in relation to the impact of one category of disclosures (those where an institution has sought consent to proceed with a transaction) suggests that in the last year £25 million of assets have been seized, restrained or returned to the victim.

Suspicious Transaction Reports

Mark Oaten: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions and representations he has had on the (a) effectiveness and (b) benefit of (i) suspicious transaction and (ii) suspicious activity reports; and what plans he has to change the reporting system.

Caroline Flint: I have been asked to reply.
	Under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 individuals and businesses have various obligations to make disclosures to the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) if they have grounds to believe that money laundering is taking place. These disclosure reports are usually now referred to as "Suspicious Activity Reports", but until recently were known as "Suspicious Transaction Reports".
	The reporting system is a key element in the United Kingdom's defences against money laundering and an important source of intelligence on all types of acquisitive crime (drugs trafficking, theft, fraud, and all other types of crime committed for financial gain). It is crucial to ensure that the system is effective and that the costs it places on the private sector are proportionate. It was against this background that the Government commissioned the consultants KPMG to examine the reporting system and to make recommendations as to how it could be improved. The Home Office published KPMG's report on 8 July 2003, and set up a Taskforce to support the process of modernising and streamlining the reporting system, as recommended in the report. The Taskforce's membership is drawn from key interested parties in the public and private sectors and the Financial Services Authority.
	A major programme to improve the reporting system has been under way in recent months, which has led to substantial improvements in the timeliness and quality of the information NCIS provide to law enforcement agencies. We have received a number of representations from private sector institutions about ways in which the reporting system should be improved. These have been taken into consideration as part of the reform programme.
	The success of the reporting system relies heavily on the contribution of reporting institutions. To help build a healthy partnership and to benefit from the input of all those involved in the system we are in regular dialogue with these institutions.

Tax Credits

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many parents have claimed Child Care Credit as part of the Working Families Tax Credit in each year since 1998; and how many are entitled to claim who have not done so.

Dawn Primarolo: Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC) was introduced in October 1999. A time series of the number of families claiming the Child Care Tax Credit as part of WFTC is shown in Table 1.3 of "Working Families Tax Credit Statistics. Quarterly Enquiry. November 2002".
	WFTC was replaced by working tax credit (WTC) at April 2003. The number of families benefiting from the child care element of WTC is shown in Table 4.4 of each issue of "Child and Working Tax Credits. Quarterly Statistics". The introduction of WTC has resulted in a large increase in the number of families benefiting from this help with their child care costs.
	Overall take-up rates for WFTC for 2000–01 and 2001–02 are shown in "Working Families Tax Credit Estimates of Take-up rates". Separate estimates for families entitled to the child care tax credit are not available.
	All the documents referred to appear on the Inland Revenue website, at www/inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/menu.htm.

TRANSPORT

Aviation Industry

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations the Government has made in the last year to the (a) International Civil Aviation Organisation and (b) its other member states regarding the possible removal of the exemption of aviation fuel from taxation.

Tony McNulty: At a meeting of ICAO's Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection in February 2004 the UK supported the use of economic instruments like emissions trading or charging to tackle the climate change impact of aviation. When the matter was raised formally at the ICAO 33rd Assembly in Autumn 2001, the overwhelming majority of states spoke out against the introduction of a tax on aviation fuel. The Government remains committed to finding alternative ways of applying the 'polluter pays' principle to civil aviation. Specific proposals were set out in the Future of Air Transport White Paper published on 16 December 2003.

Aviation Industry

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects his Department to (a) commence and (b) complete its review of the security regime tailored for smaller and lighter aircraft and the airports from which they operate.

Tony McNulty: We keep our aviation security regime under regular review, consulting with the industry as necessary. Indeed officials are meeting with Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd. and the aircraft operators in Glasgow today. As I said to the hon. Gentleman in my answer to his oral question on 9 March we shall consult the industry fully on proposals for a tailored regime for lighter and smaller aircraft.

Computerised MOT Test

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answers of 8 March 2004, Official Report, columns 1237–38W, on computerised MOT test, what assessment his Department has made of the effects of succession planning of this project.

David Jamieson: In the event of termination, the contract with SBS provides a variety of options for transfer of key elements of the system to VOSA or a new contractor including, outright purchase, lease, replacement or alternative source. In summary these include:
	access to system hardware and accommodation;
	access to software or other licences and to sub-contracted services;
	transfer of staff.
	The approach, in the event, will depend whether the affected elements are used solely for MOT Computerisation or whether as a whole, or in part, they are used to provide other services. It will also depend on the extent to which they are critical to computerisation and cannot be obtained elsewhere. Where an item itself cannot be provided, SBS has to provide replacements or appropriate alternatives.

Container Vehicles

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate how many closed container vehicles and trailers, including curtain-sided ones, (a) operating from the UK travelled to Europe and (b) operating in mainland Europe travelled to the UK in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: Information is not available in the form requested. The available information is as follows.
	
		Road goods vehicles travelling to mainland Europe: powered goods vehicles (excluding trailers) -- Thousand(1)
		
			  UK registered Foreign registered 
		
		
			  
			  
			 2001 518 1,174 
			 2002 493 1,290 
			 2003 471 1,322 
		
	
	(1) Number of one-way vehicle trips.
	Source:
	Roll-on Roll-off goods vehicle survey: DfT.

Carbon Emissions

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the amount of carbon that will be produced by cars in each year up to 2010.

David Jamieson: We estimate that in 2000, cars in England emitted 15.44 million tonnes of carbon (MtC). We expect emissions to be between 14.85 and 15.64 MtC in 2010. We do not estimate carbon emissions for each year and do not estimate emissions for the UK as a whole.

Cycle Lanes

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of new cycle lanes have been provided using public funds in Crosby since 1997.

Tony McNulty: The Department's figures extend back only as far as 1998 and cover the whole of the Sefton metropolitan borough area. Figures are set out in the following table.
	
		Sefton
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 199899 1 
			 19992000 1 
			 200001 5 
			 200102 5 
			 200203 (Forecast outturn) 4 
			 200304 (Forecast) 15 
			 Total 31

Cycle Lanes

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of new cycle lanes have been provided in Chorley since 1997.

Tony McNulty: The Department does not hold this information for Chorley borough council or for the 1997 financial year. The following table lists cycle lanes in kilometres constructed by Lancashire county council for subsequent years.
	
		Number of cycle lanes in Lancashire county council from 199899 to 200203
		
			  Cycle lanes (Kilometres) 
		
		
			 199899 0 
			 19992000 0 
			 200001 30 
			 200102 6 
			 200203 1

Lime Street Station

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the latest position on improvements at Lime Street station.

Tony McNulty: Network Rail is working with Mersey Travel and Liverpool Vision on plans to develop the station. However, since it took over responsibility for the station on 16 November 2003, Network Rail has made several improvements already, and is looking to make a number of others: these include refurbishment of the toilet facilities, improved security, including plans for a new CCTV system, and improvements to passenger announcement equipment and signage.

Railways

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much Government grant is being allocated to improve (a) Chorley and (b) Adlington railway stations.

Tony McNulty: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 3 March 2004, Official Report, column 922W, about Chorley. There are currently no grant payments being made for improvements at Adlington station.

Railways

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what Government grants are available to fund (a) a footbridge and (b) an underpass on railway line crossing Adlington.

Tony McNulty: There are no Government grants available to fund a footbridge and an underpass in Adlington. However, Local Transport Plan funding may be appropriate for these proposals. The local transport authority is Lancashire county council who should be approached in the first instance with these proposals.

Road Safety

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many motorcyclists were (a) killed and (b) seriously injured where (i) no other vehicle was involved, (ii) the motorcyclist was on a bend in the road when the accident happened and (iii) the motorcyclist was categorised as inexperienced in 200203; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: In accidents during 2002 where (i) no other vehicle was involved, 167 motorcyclists were killed and 1,614 were seriously injured, and (ii) in accidents where the motorcyclist was on the bend of a road when the accident happened, 230 motorcyclists were killed and 1,374 were seriously injured.
	The information regarding driver/rider inexperience is not available as routine accident reports do not currently record contributory factors to accidents. But under a pilot scheme, the incidence of rider inexperience was recorded as a contributory factor in about 5 per cent. of injury accidents in 2002 where the factor which precipitated the accident was attributed to the motorcyclist.

Road Safety

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in how many road traffic accidents drug taking was a contributory factor in the accident in each year since 1997.

David Jamieson: The information is not available as routine accident reports do not currently record contributory factors to accidents. But under a pilot scheme, information on contributory factors to road accidents has been collected by 15 police forces. The influence of drugs was recorded as a contributory factor in about 1 per cent. of injury accidents recorded under this pilot scheme in both 2001 and 2002.

Taxis

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the effect of abolishing the quantity regulation of taxi numbers on (a) the safety of the general public, (b) access to safe and convenient transport for disabled people, (c) the quality of service received by the public, (d) access to convenient transport for people on low incomes and (e) the earning power of taxi drivers.

Tony McNulty: The Government have been considering the Office of Fair Trading's report on the UK taxi market and the representations received about it. The Government intend to respond to the OFT report shortly.

Thames Bridges

John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received on the installation of grab chains on the buttresses of Thames bridges in central London; what consideration he has given to (a) this and (b) other safety measures; which body is responsible for authorising such provision; and which body is responsible for installation of safety measures on bridges.

David Jamieson: I have not received any recent representations on the matter of grab chains on the buttresses of bridges in central London.
	However the London Coastguard officers liaise with the relevant local authorities and riparian landowners giving advice on the provision of safety equipment along the Thames.

Transport Council

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the outcome was of the Transport Council held in Brussels on 9 March; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Darling: The transport session of the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council met in Brussels on 9 March. I represented the UK.
	The Council was unable to reach a General Approach on the proposed amendment to Directive 1999/62/EC on the charging of lorries for the use of certain roads (the 'Eurovignette' Directive). The Presidency tabled a compromise package in an attempt to reach agreement. Following some debate, there was a general willingness to accept most aspects of the compromise. However, the Commissioner insisted that compulsory hypothecation of toll revenues be part of the package. While some Ministers supported this, the UK was among a majority of member states which opposed it. The Presidency concluded that the Council would have to return to the subject at a future date.
	The Commission presented a third rail package, comprising proposals on: liberalisation of international passenger transport; train driver licensing and crew certification; passenger rights for international services; and minimum standards for freight transport. These proposals will now be considered in detail, with a view to agreement at a later Council.
	The Commission gave a progress report on air transport negotiations with the US, which aim to achieve a Transatlantic Open Aviation Area (OAA). The Presidency invited comments from Ministers, which would provide guidance for the next stage. In the Commission's view, the present US offer was inadequate and balanced in the US's favour. Nevertheless, the Commission believed that it would be appropriate to try to reach a partial agreement by the end of the year, accompanied by a strong commitment by the US to negotiate a further stage. I agreed that the present offer was unbalanced and argued that if it were agreed there would be no incentive for the US to engage in further negotiations. It would also set a bad precedent for the EU's aviation relations with other third countries. A genuine OAA offered enormous opportunities for both EU and US airlines and should be pursued with determination. Most member states agreed that the current offer was not balanced and that the Commission should continue negotiating for a better outcome. The Presidency concluded that COREPER and the Special Committee should monitor developments in the next round of negotiations.
	The Commission reported further on external relations in aviation. Discussions continued with Romania and Bulgaria on entry into the European Common Aviation Area, and would be extended to the Western Balkans. Contacts with other neighbouring countries were being undertaken. The Commission was talking to Australia, New Zealand and Singapore under its restricted horizontal mandate for negotiations with third countries, and other countries would follow. The Council took note, and referred the issue to COREPER and working groups for consideration.
	The Commission reported on the agreement reached with the US on cooperation in satellite navigation systems, key elements being compatibility and interoperability between GPS and Galileo. Council Conclusions on Galileo were adopted, welcoming progress, and looking forward to expected decisions by the end of the year on the deployment and operational phases of the project.
	Under AOB, there were a number of maritime items. France presented its two sea motorway projects. The Commission indicated its support for sea motorway schemes to facilitate links between ports. Belgium underlined the significance of the recent agreement in the IMO of a Convention on ballast water. The Commission noted that the Convention was a major step forward, and said it would push for member states to ratify it as soon as possible. Spain raised its concerns over the 6-month indicative ratification for the Protocol to the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (IOPC). Spain also noted that not all member states had yet transposed Vessel Traffic monitoring Directive 2002/59/EC, and that the lack of a uniform approach endangered maritime safety. Spain further insisted that a common approach was needed towards parties responsible for oil pollution, including owners.
	The Commission reported on digital tachographs. The deadline for installation to relevant vehicles is August this year. As it is accepted that this cannot be met, a co-decision proposal for revision of the date is needed. In the interim, the Commission will be issuing a letter confirming that a moratorium of between eight and 12 months would be granted.
	Also under AOB, the Commission reported on the revised Commission proposal on harmonised operational safety standards and administrative procedures in civil aviation. The Presidency concluded that work would start at the technical level with a report expected at the next Transport Council.
	No votes were taken at this Council.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Big Ben

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, if he will make a statement on the maintenance of the great Westminster clock, popularly known as Big Ben.

Archy Kirkwood: 'Big Ben' is actually the nickname of the hour bell rather than the Great Clock itself. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday each week clockmakers attend the Clock to inspect it and wind it, and to check the time adjustment. Twice a year the fly fans, brakes and the associated bearings are disassembled and inspected. Metallurgists test the mechanical parts annually.
	In addition, a specialist clockmaker is preparing a plan for clock maintenance over the next three years.

Line of Route Tours

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what plans he has to improve the availability of tours of the House by constituents.

Archy Kirkwood: A detailed report on the first year of operations since the introduction of the Central Tours Office and the new sitting hours in January last year is being considered by the Administration Committee this week. The Committee will consider the report and then advise the Commission.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Energy Supplies

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to increase the target of energy generated from renewable sources.

Stephen Timms: The Government remain firmly committed to the 10 per cent. target of electricity from renewable sources by 2010 and an aspiration to double this by 2020. We plan to review the Renewables Obligation (which is the main vehicle for achieving our target) during 2005, and to set out the scope of that review later this year. In December I announced that the Renewables Obligation will be extended from 2010 to a level of 15.4 per cent. in 201516.

Energy Supplies

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent estimates she has made of the change in demand for electricity over the next decade.

Stephen Timms: In August 2003 the Department published for consultation new projections to 2010 of electricity generation from different sources. These are available at: www.dti.gov.uk/energy/sepn/projections.pdf.
	Work to update these projections is continuing and revised projections should be available shortly.

Energy Supplies

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the change in demand for electricity over the past decade was in (a) the North West and (b) the United Kingdom.

Stephen Timms: Data for electricity demand in the UK are contained in the long term trends annex to the Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics 2003 (table 5.1.2) available at: www.dti.gov.uk/energy/inform/energy stats/electricity/index.shtml.
	Data for the North West region were published for the period 200002 only in the December 2003 issue of Energy Trends available at: www.dti.gov.uk/energy/inform/energy trends/2003/dec 03.pdf.

EU Social Chapter (Crosby)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the benefits of the EU Social Chapter for the residents of Crosby.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The residents of Crosby have benefited from the EU Social Chapter by having their employment rights extended to include:
	the right to Parental Leave which gives parents the right to 13 weeks unpaid leave at the birth or adoption of a child;
	the entitlement of part-time workers to the same pro-rata terms and conditions of employment as full time workers, thereby removing any discrimination and improving the quality of part-time jobs;
	the provision that once a prima facie case has been made in an employment tribunal claim, the burden of proof is placed on the defendant (usually the employer), who will need to demonstrate that sex discrimination has not occurred;
	rights under the Fixed Term Work Directive that provide equal treatment and prevent abuse of fixed term contracts;
	rights under the European Works Council Directive which requires companies with at least 1,000 employees in total and at least 150 workers in each of the two member states, to establish structures for consulting workers on issues that affect them and;
	in addition, the Information and Consultation of Employees Directive to be implemented in the UK by March 2005, establishes a right to new minimum standards for workforce communication and involvement in large firms.

Flexible Working

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the number of requests for flexible working following the birth of a child that were received in the six months following the April 2003 implementation of the flexible working legislation; and what proportion of these requests were granted.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Government have commissioned questions in the monthly Office for National Statistics Omnibus Survey to help make an assessment of the number of flexible working requests in the first year of the new flexible working law coming into effect. The results should be published shortly.
	Last October the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and Lovells published the results of a survey looking at the impact of the new law in its first six months and reported:
	Over a quarter (28 per cent.) of employers have seen an increase in the total number of requests for flexible working since the right was introduced in April 2003.
	Of those organisations that have received statutory requests since then, nearly two-thirds (62 per cent.) have approved at least half of all such requests, either in the form submitted by the employee or in modified form.
	A large majority of employers say they generally have little difficulty with the new right76 per cent. say that the impact of the legislation on their organisation has been negligible and 90 per cent. report no significant problems complying with the new requirements.
	Answers to common questions put to advisers on the ACAS helpline during the first six months of the law being into effect are available on the DTI's website at www.dti.gov.uk/er/flexible.htm.

Flexible Working

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to extend the right to request flexible working to carers of elderly and disabled people.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The right to request flexible working and duty on employers to consider such requests seriously is already wider in scope for parents of disabled children, who can make a request up to their child's 18th birthday. For other parents, the right applies while their children are under six.
	The Government are committed to commencing a review of the law in 2006. Issues such as whether it is appropriate to extend its scope, and to whom, could be considered at this time.
	The Government's Work-Life Balance Campaign seeks to persuade employers of the benefits of adopting work-life balance policies and to offer these opportunities to all employees to help meet caring responsibilities, as well as pursue personal interests, wherever it makes business sense.

Insulation Costs

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average cost of installing (a) photovoltaic cells and (b) external wall insulation on a house was in the last year for which figures are available; and what public subsidies are available for this work.

Stephen Timms: PV average cost based on a three-bed semi detached household system of 2kWp capacity.
	Depending on the type of system specified, total average costs for a 2kWp system are between 13,000 and 17,000. Under the Major Photovoltaic Demonstration Programme 50 per cent. is available in grant.
	External wall insulation costs:
	The marginal cost for externally insulating a three-bed semi detached house is approx 1500. The costs vary greatly according to house type and building height. Public subsidies are not available for this technology.

British Nuclear Fuels Ltd.

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions her Department has had about BNFL liabilities in the USA; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The Department has had many discussions with BNFL about its' business in the USA. These discussions have broadly been about BNFL seeking routes to significantly reduce its exposure to the US clean-up market. In relation to Westinghouse we have had discussions with BNFL about the steps that need to be taken to enable the business to operate with greater financial independence, so that possibilities for private sector participation are opened up. I have recently spoken to Spencer Abraham, US Energy Secretary, on these issues.

Paid Leave (Crosby)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many residents of Crosby qualify for paid leave entitlements.

Gerry Sutcliffe: All workers resident in Crosby qualify for paid annual leave entitlementsat least four weeks as set out in the Working Time Regulations. While all women are entitled to 26 weeks ordinary maternity leave, only those who meet the eligibility criteria will be to claim statutory maternity pay for that period.
	All employees in Crosby who are eligible will be entitled to take statutory paternity leave with pay and statutory adoption leave with pay.

Recruitment

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost of recruitment of civil servants for the Department was in each financial year since 199697, broken down by (a) delegated or contracted out recruitment procedures and (b) recruitment procedures carried out by the Department.

Patricia Hewitt: The Department has information on the total costs of recruiting civil servants, but it is not possible to provide a breakdown as required without occurring disproportionate cost. The figures are as follows:
	
		
			  000 
		
		
			 199899 433 
			 19992000 944 
			 200001 655 
			 200102 229 
			 200203 662

Shredded Tyres

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what arrangements she is making to ensure that shredded tyres going to landfill are usable in shredded form for other purposes once they are no longer permitted to be placed in landfill sites.

Stephen Timms: There are a range of applications for used tyres in both whole and shredded form, including engineering uses, incorporation into sports and safety surfaces and energy recovery in cement kilns. The number of tyres being put to such use is growing strongly as the industry anticipates the July 2006 ban on their disposal to landfill. There is legislation in place covering the handling and movement of used tyres, as with other wastes, but the Government are currently considering whether this existing framework needs to be strengthened in any way while the adjustment away from landfill disposal takes place. We continue to discuss these issues with the tyre industry and other interested parties.

Worker Registration Certificates

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether a worker's registration certificate guarantees its holder protection under minimum wage legislation.

Gerry Sutcliffe: We have announced that individuals from the accession states will be entitled to work in the UK provided they meet certain conditions. These will include registering with the Home Office under its workers' registration scheme, which was announced on 23 February.
	Most of these individuals will then be entitled to the national minimum wage, although it is possible that some may fall within exemption categories in the minimum wage legislation or instead be covered by the agricultural minimum wage. We will ensure that there is effective enforcement in this area.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Child Abuse

Debra Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the findings of the survey from the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency on the proportion of primary school children who regularly chat over computer software and admit that they have had face-to-face meetings with people they met on-line.

Charles Clarke: I have been asked to reply.
	The evaluation report, Emerging Trends Amongst Primary School Children's Use of The Internet was published by the Cyberspace Research Unit (CRU) of the University of Central Lancashire, under contract to the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta). The evaluation was commissioned to evaluate the Internet Proficiency Scheme which was designed to help Key Stage 2 pupils learn how to use the internet and other technologies safely and responsibly.
	The CRU evaluation found that the number of children aged 8 to 11 years using chatrooms was decreasing. When questioned by researchers in 2002, two in 10 children of a group of 1,331 admitted to using chatrooms on more than one occasion. In 2003, the figure dropped to one in ten, when 330 children were asked the same question. Also in 2002, two out of a group of 100 children admitted to attending face-to-face meetings with people that they had met online. This number increased to three out of a group of 100 children in the same age range in 2003.
	The evaluation suggests that over 90 per cent. of primary schools did not let their students use internet chat facilities on their premises and that all schools had taken some action to keep children using the internet safe. This included using technology, such as content filtering software, and creating clear written policies that outline how children should use the internet at school.
	There was also evidence from the evaluation that schools were the most commonly reported sources of internet safety advice and that there had been an increase in the proportion of children that were aware of general internet safety guidelines.

Community Sentences

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases in the last 12 months for which figures are available magistrates have been unable to issue community sentences as a result of not being in possession of pre-sentencing reports; and what sentencing options are not available where there is no pre-sentencing report.

Paul Goggins: Information is not collected centrally on the number of requests for pre-sentence reports made by magistrates which are not met. Non-production of reports does not prevent the court from issuing a community sentence or any other sentence. It is for sentencers to decide if they wish to request a pre-sentence report, if the court is of the opinion that it is unnecessary to obtain a pre-sentence report it need not do so.

Credit References

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether police forces may have access to the credit reference agency database (a) with and (b) without the knowledge of the individual concerned.

Caroline Flint: The principal means by which police forces access the information held by credit reference agencies is through making a request under section 29 of the Data Protection Act 1998. The Act allows data to be accessed without the knowledge of the individuals concerned where this is
	for the purpose of the prevention or detection of crime, the apprehension or prosecution of offenders, or the assessment or collection of any tax or duty or of any imposition of a similar nature , and where a failure to disclose this information would be likely to prejudice any of these matters. Use of this power is limited by a number of safeguards, notably that applications are approved by senior officers and the reasons for the application documented. The Information Commissioner also monitors the use by law enforcement of these databases.

Crime Reduction

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish all the responses his Department receives to Reducing Crime-Changing Lives.

Paul Goggins: Responses to the Reducing CrimeChanging Lives document will be made available to anyone who asks for them. Where respondents have sought confidentiality this will be respected.

Criminal Assets

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 2 March 2004, Official Report, column 899W, on criminal assets, in how many of the 1,219 cases cited an order made was under section 295(2) of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2003 to extend the period for which the seized cash was detained.

Caroline Flint: An order was made under section 295(2) of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in 1,218 cases, to extend the period for which the seized cash was detained.

Criminal Assets

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 2 March 2004, Official Report, column 899W, on criminal assets 
	(1)  what quantity of cash seized during this period was paid into a bank account under the terms of section 296 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2003, broken down by relevant bank and building society;
	(2)  what proportion of cash seized has subsequently been released;
	(3)  in how many of the 1,219 cases cited compensation has been paid (a) for loss of interest which would have been earned and (b) for additional loss under section 302(4) of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2003.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Criminal Assets

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total value of assets recovered by the Assets Recovery Agency is since its establishment.

Caroline Flint: Since the agency became operational on 24 February 2003, the total value of assets under its investigation is over 50 million of which over 13.5 million is currently frozen under court orders, pending hearings for recovery orders. In addition, four tax assessments have been issued under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 with a total value of 728,000. Tax receipts with a total value of 2,000 have so far been recovered. The agency has also provided assistance to law enforcement agencies in 19 confiscation order cases in which assets with a total value of 4.4 million have been restrained.

Drugs Testing and Treatment

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the procedure is for applying for a drugs testing and treatment order; and what the maximum distance is that a person subject to a drugs testing and treatment order is expected to travel in order to comply with such an order.

Paul Goggins: Drug Treatment and Testing Orders (DTTOs) can be made by magistrates courts and the Crown court where the court is satisfied that an offender aged 16 or over is dependent on or has a propensity to misuse drugs, and requires and may be susceptible to treatment. A court shall not make a DTTO unless it is satisfied that arrangements have been or can be made for the treatment intended to be specified in the order, and the offender expresses his willingness to comply with its requirements. To determine an offender's suitability for the order, the Probation Service will carry out an assessment in conjunction with treatment services, usually during an adjournment for a Pre Sentence Report.
	There is no maximum distance within which offenders are expected to travel to comply with a DTTO. Arrangements for supervision by the Probation Service and treatment provision are made as practicably as possible, taking into account not only the distance offenders have to travel (often on a daily basis) but the complexity of the transportation system and the availability of any specific treatment needed.

Football

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  who makes the decision to impose a football banning order on an individual under the Football Spectators Act 1989, as amended by the Football (Disorder) Act 2000;
	(2)  whether he has advised the Football Association that the provisions of the Football Spectators Act 1989, as amended by the Football (Disorder) Act 2000, apply to players and officials as well as to football supporters;
	(3)  how many (a) football players and (b) officials have been subject to a football banning order under the Football Spectators Act 1989, as amended by the Football (Disorder) Act 2000.

Hazel Blears: In accordance with the provisions of Football Spectators Act 1989 (as amended by the Football (Disorder) Act 2000), it is for the court to determine whether or not to impose a football banning order following a conviction of a football-related offence or a complaint laid by the police. The football authorities are aware of the relevant legislation. No senior player or official has been subject to a football banning order. The imposition of such an order would be a matter for the courts.

Holocaust Memorial Day

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultations his Department has held with the Department for Education and Skills on future production of education materials for Holocaust Memorial Day.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 11 March 2004
	Officials from the Departments have a close working relationship around all aspects of Holocaust Memorial Day and have discussed the future production of educational materials.
	The Department for Education and Skills will be producing education resources in support of Holocaust Memorial Day 2005. Both the Home Office and the Department for Education and Skills will continue to support fully the aims and objectives of Holocaust Memorial Day.

Identity Cards

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost of providing (a) mobile and (b) fixed local reader systems for national identity cards;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on the trials which have been conducted into mobile devices to check biometrics.

Beverley Hughes: The cost assumptions and cost estimates which have been used in the preparation of the Home Office's business case have not been placed in the public domain for reasons of commercial confidentiality. These estimates are based on extensive research and consultation with stakeholders both within and outside Government, and will be the subject of further refinement as the programme progresses.
	Biometric checks known as quick checks are used to search an individual's fingerprint against the Immigration Asylum Fingerprint System (IAFS) in order to identify if that individual is known to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND). Quick checks searches can be conducted by immigration officers anywhere and a result known within three minutes.
	There are around 300 quick checks facilities within the Immigration Service including local enforcement offices around the country. Approximately 20 quick checks facilities have been placed in police stations to check identities of suspects if the Police think IND may have an interest in them.
	Quick checks have also been used in a pilot visa application process in Sri Lanka, which is now being repeated in several east African countries in order to collect fingerprints of individuals requesting visas. These data are held on IAFS.
	Some police forces use readers to check fingerprints in joint working with the Immigration Service. Finger print readers will also be used by Northamptonshire police in a pilot later this year involving automated number plate recognition. When there is some reason to stop a particular vehicle the fingerprints of the driver, and passengers, can be taken and checked.

Identity Cards

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long it will take to register an individual for a national identity card.

Beverley Hughes: The Home Office is working on designing a process which enables an individual to be registered in a convenient and timely manner. However, it is too early at present to specify the exact registration times that will be taken. Projects such as the UK Passport Service biometric trial will help to inform the estimates of the registration time.

Identity Cards

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of how DNA information might be used alongside other biometric data when identity cards are introduced.

Beverley Hughes: DNA has well-known applications in identification of people in a law enforcement context and is both universal and able to discriminate among a very large number of individuals. However, the requirements of an identity card scheme are for high-volume, real-time identity verification and so DNA would be unsuitable because of the specialist expertise and length of time needed in taking and analysing samples.

Internet Child Pornography

Debra Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of whether a hard drive amnesty should be introduced for people who have child pornography downloaded on their systems, in return for a caution and agreement that they undertake a course of treatment.

Paul Goggins: We have no plans to take forward such an amnesty.

Internet Child Pornography

Debra Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he has issued to the (a) police and (b) Crown Prosecution Service on the investigation of individuals suspected of (i) making and (ii) possessing illegal images of children.

Paul Goggins: The criminal offences relating to taking, making distributing and possessing indecent photographs of children are contained in the Protection of Children Act 1978, as amended, and no central guidance has been issued.
	However, section 46 of the sexual Offences Act 2003 provides a defence to a charge of making indecent photographs of children under section 1 of the 1978 Act, and we are working with representatives of the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Crown Prosecution Service on a Memorandum of Understanding concerning its interpretation. This will provide guidance to those working in the field on the issues that need to be considered in determining whether acts of making fall within the scope of the defence. We have consulted bodies representing internet service providers and other interested parties on the content of the document. It is intended that the final document will be published on the Crown Prosecution Service website when the Sexual Offences Act comes into force.

Judicial Responsibility

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the extent of his responsibility for (a) magistrates and (b) district judges.

Paul Goggins: Responsibility for magistrates and district judges rests with the Department for Constitutional Affairs. The Home Office has certain responsibilities in relation to magistrates courts, including the legislation governing the procedures and sentencing powers of those courts.

Justice and Home Affairs Council

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many meetings of the Justice and Home Affairs Council he has attended since being appointed Secretary of State for the Home Department.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 1 March 2004
	Eight.

Police Officers (Early Retirement)

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers have retired early owing to ill-health in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: pursuant to her reply, 28 January 2004, Official Report, c. 444W
	The information that was given in the answer was not accurate due to an administrative error; the correct version of the answer is as follows: The requested figures, including the figure for 200203 published by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary last year, are given in the table.
	
		
			  Medical Retirements 
		
		
			 199697 2,012 
			 199798 1,811 
			 199899 1,642 
			 19902000 1,232 
			 200001 1,209 
			 200102 1,114 
			 200203 821

Prisoners

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the average proportion of prisoners who were (a) illiterate and (b) innumerate on (i) entering and (ii) leaving prison was in each year since 1997;
	(2)  what the average proportion of young offenders who were (a) illiterate and (b) innumerate on (i) entering and (ii) leaving young offenders institutions was in each year since 1997.

Paul Goggins: The following table shows the proportion of young offenders and other prisoners assessed on reception into prison as having literacy and numeracy skills at or below level 1.
	
		
			  Percentage at or below level 1 
			  Literacy Numeracy 
		
		
			 200203  
			 Young offenders 81.7 78.1 
			 Prisoners(2) 69.9 70.7 
			
			 200102   
			 Young offenders 78.1 72.9 
			 Prisoners(2) 73.9 67.2 
			
			 200001   
			 Young offenders 72.7 75.0 
			 Prisoners 61.6 65.5 
			
			 19992000   
			 Young offenders 72.0 80.8 
			 Prisoners 74.3 64.0 
			
			 199899   
			 Young offenders 70.0 77.6 
			 Prisoners 68.5 66.4 
			
			 199798   
			 Young offenders 68.5 82.4 
			 Prisoners 55.9 66.8 
		
	
	The Prison Service does not currently have systems for tracking individual prisoner progress. The following table sets out prisoner achievement against our literacy and numeracy targets since 200001.
	
		
			  Target Achievement 
		
		
			 200001 14,500 (level 2) 12,500 (86%) 
			 200102 18,000 (level 2) 16,000 
			 200203 28,800 (all levels) 41,518 (144%) 
			 Of which:   
			  6,000 (entry) 9,120 
			  12,000 (level 1) 17,208 
			  10,800 (level 2) 15,190 
			
			 200304(2) 36,676 (all levels) 38,464 (105%) 
			 Of which:   
			  8,1 17 (entry) 11,223 
			  14,501 (level 1) 15,694 
			  14,058 (level 2) 11,547 
			
			 200405 60,000 (all levels)  
		
	
	(2) To January 2004.

Probation Service

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether there has been an evaluation of the effectiveness of the reorganisation of the Probation Service in April 2001.

Paul Goggins: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 9 February 2004, Official Report, column 1285W.

Sentencing Powers

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Court of Appeal has powers to reduce a sentence if the sentence is not considered to be wrong in principle.

Paul Goggins: Sections 9(1) and 11(3) of the Criminal Appeal Act 1968 grant the Court of Appeal a very wide discretion to deal with appeals against sentence as it thinks fit, subject only to the proviso that it must not increase the sentence imposed by the Crown court. However, the criminal division of the Court of Appeal is generally bound by its own precedents. When considering an appeal against sentence on the ground that the sentence is manifestly excessive or wrong in principle, the Court of Appeal has traditionally made it clear that it will not interfere with the Crown court's sentence if that sentence is right in principle (i.e. within the general reach of the Crown court's discretion and not manifestly excessive). The interpretation of legislation is, however, a matter for the courts.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Legislative Process

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Leader of the House, how the Government decides into which House to introduce a Bill.

Phil Woolas: When deciding into which House to introduce a Bill, the Government considers a range of factors, including the nature of the Bill and the need to maintain a balanced programme in both Houses throughout the Session.

Pre-legislative Scrutiny

Graham Allen: To ask the Leader of the House, what recent steps he has taken to promote the use of pre-legislative scrutiny on-line for all proposals for legislation; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: Whether to consult on-lineas part of pre-legislative scrutiny or another form of inquiryis a matter for decision by the individual committee concerned. The Modernisation Committee, which I chair, is currently conducting an on-line consultation as part of our inquiry into connecting Parliament with the public. I commend this approach to other Committees.

Sitting Hours

Simon Burns: To ask the Leader of the House, what studies he has conducted on the impact of the changes in the working hours of the House on the efficiency of the work of the House.

Peter Hain: I wrote to all Members in January asking for views on the sitting hours, including the impact of the change on the efficiency of the work of the House. Such factors will form part of the forthcoming review by the Modernisation Committee.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Cinema-goers

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her Department's policy is on improving facilities for cinema-goers with impaired (a) hearing and (b) sight; and what funding has been made available to improve services.

Estelle Morris: The UK Film Council announced on 15 September 2003 the launch of a Cinema Access Programme to improve access to cinemas by people with hearing and sight impairments. 500,000 of lottery money has been allocated to this programme, of which 350,000 is being used to supply up to 75 local cinemas across England with subtitling and audio-description equipment; 60,000 is funding the provision of sub-titled and audio-described film prints for use in cinemas; 50,000 is funding the development of a website providing information on when and where subtitled or audio-described films will be seen; and 40,000 is supporting research and development into a personal captioning device to work alongside existing digital systems.

Gambling

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much public funding has been spent by the Government on (a) publicising the dangers of gambling among under 18-year-olds and (b) rehabilitation for gambling addicts in each year since 1997.

Richard Caborn: There is no public funding for (a) It is not possible to provide a specific estimate of the amount spent on (b) within total NHS provision for mental health services, bearing in mind the frequent co-morbidity of pathological gambling with other forms or manifestations of mental disorder.

Gambling

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what research her Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the likely effects on repeat play by children of reducing the legal maximum stake for redemption-style gaming machines from 30 pence to 10 pence per game;
	(2)  what research has been carried out on behalf of her Department on the extent to which (a) redemption style machines offering exchangeable goods and (b) other category D machines affect the likelihood of repetitive play among children.

Richard Caborn: The report of the Gambling Review Body (CM 5206) identifies a number of research studies dealing with gaming machine play by children. These include machines which would be classified as Category D machines under the draft Gambling Bill proposals. But the Department is not aware of any studies which relate specifically to redemption style machines, and has not commissioned any.

Libraries (Digitisation)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money has been spent on the digitisation of content in libraries in Buckingham since 1997.

Estelle Morris: The information requested is not held centrally. However, Buckinghamshire county council is a partner in the Thames Pilot Project, which received 328,000 from the New Opportunities Fund to help establish a website depicting the history of the River Thames and the communities which lie along its length. Separately, in 2003 Buckinghamshire digitised over 500 images of Victorian prisoners held at Aylesbury Gaol to be displayed on the council website at a cost of approximately 2,000. This was in addition to the previous digitisation of over 23,000 historic images of Buckinghamshire in 1994, of which 425 relate directly to Buckingham.

Museums/Libraries (Funding)

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what written representations she has (a) requested and (b) received regarding local authority financial support for (i) museums, (ii) libraries and (iii) archives in the forthcoming financial year under the local authority financial settlement; and if she will make a statement.

Estelle Morris: The information requested is as follows.
	(a) To date, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not requested any written representations regarding local authority financial support for museums, libraries or archives in the forthcoming financial year under the local authority financial settlement.
	(b) To date, the Department has received:
	i. Three written representations regarding local authority financial support for museums, relating to Worthing borough council, Eastbourne borough council and Daventry district council.
	ii. Three written representations about potential service reductions in library services from London borough of Barnet, Cambridgeshire county council and Telford and Wrekin borough council following the announcement of the local authority financial settlement for the forthcoming financial year. The Department has received no other written representations regarding local authority financial support in relation to libraries.
	iii. One written representation regarding local authority financial support for archives, relating to Essex county council.

National Lottery

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost of administering the National Lottery as a proportion of each ticket sold was in 200304.

Estelle Morris: Information for 200304 is not yet available. In 200203 the operator of the National Lottery retained 6.3 per cent.

Television Licence

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of television licence fee defaulters fell into each socio-economic category in the last year for which figures are available.

Estelle Morris: The table shows how, according to figures obtained from the BBC, evasion is spread across all socio-economic groups.
	
		Percentage
		
			  UK Population TV Licence Evaders 
			 Group Distribution by socio-economic group of chief income earner, according to National Readership Survey between July 2000 and June 2001 Distribution of socio-economic group of 1,108,787 who have evaded for up to two years 
		
		
			 2003   
			 AB 23.7 23.4 
			 C1 27.7 27.2 
			 C2 20.9 19.8 
			 DE 27.7 29.6 
			
			 2002   
			 AB 23.8 22.4 
			 C1 27.3 26.6 
			 C2 21.2 20.3 
			 DE 27.7 30.7

Sports (Participation)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people (a) over and (b) under the age of 16 take part in sporting activity in (i) the north west, (ii) Lancashire and (iii) Chorley.

Richard Caborn: The Health Survey for England 1998 indicated that 14.0 per cent. of people aged 16 and over in the north west participated in sport and walking for a minimum of 30 minutes at least five times a week and that 21.4 per cent. did so at least three times a week. Disaggregated information for Lancashire and Chorley is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The information requested on people under the age of 16 is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Data on the number of pupils who spend a minimum of two hours each week on high-quality PE and school sport within and beyond the curriculum are now being collected for the first time and will be published in April.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Common Agricultural Policy

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the impact of Common Agricultural Policy export subsidies on poverty in developing countries; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The Government acknowledge the damaging impact that export subsidies have on the poor in developing countries by depressing world market prices and distorting trade. Evidence suggests that with elimination of all agricultural export subsidies from the expected levels in 2005, it is estimated that annual global incomes would be US$3.6 billion a year higher by 2010, than if expected levels of export subsidies persisted and there were no further reforms.
	It is for this reason we have pressed for reductions in the use of export subsidies in Europe. We fully support the commitment made at the Doha ministerial meeting in 2001, which agreed that agriculture negotiations would aim to achieve: substantial improvements in market access; reductions of, with a view to phasing out, all forms of export subsidies; and substantial reductions in trade-distorting domestic support.
	However, export subsidies cannot be tackled in isolation, as they are a consequence of high internal support prices and restricted access to the EU market for developing country exporters. While the Common Agricultural Policy reforms agreed in June last year don't deal explicitly with export subsidies, they will result in the de-linking of domestic support from production and this is expected to lead to real changes in output, by gradually reducing the incentives for EU farmers to over-produce. This in turn will reduce the need to dispose of surpluses onto the world market through the use of export subsidies. The reforms that have been made to the CAP mean that the EU is now able to reduce its export subsidies to about 25 per cent. of the level that was paid 10 years ago.

EU Aid

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what the explanation is for the Euros72.73 million excess of payment over funds committed in respect of Mediterranean projects that were financed from the Commission Budget in 2002;
	(2)  what the destination was of the difference between the Euros574.87 million committed and the Euros454.25 million euros paid on Asia projects that were financed from the General Commission Budget in 2002;
	(3)  what the destination was of the difference between the Euros520.32 million committed and the Euros474.25 million paid on Humanitarian Aid projects that were financed from the General Commission Budget in 2002;
	(4)  what the destination was of the Euros430.69 million difference between the funds committed and funds paid to the pre-accession from the General Commission Budget in 2002;
	(5)  what the destination was of the difference between the Euros333.22 million committed and the Euros181.79 million paid on Latin American projects that were financed from the General Commission Budget in 2002;
	(6)  what the destination was of the Euros710.65 million difference between funds committed and funds paid to the pre-accession-ISPA project that was financed from the General Commission Budget in 2002;
	(7)  what the destination was of the difference between the 505.96 million euros committed and the Euros417.31 million paid on Food Aid projects that were financed from the General Commission Budget in 2002;
	(8)  what the destination was of the Euros581.48 million difference between funds committed and funds paid to the pre-accession-PHARE project that was financed from the General Commission Budget in 2002;
	(9)  what the destination was of the difference between the Euros147.95 million committed and the Euros18.87 million paid on the pre-accession projects for Malta, Cyprus and Turkey that were financed from the General Commission Budget in 2002;
	(10)  what the destination was of the difference between the Euros124.18 million committed and the Euros119.26 million paid on South African projects that were financed from the General Commission Budget in 2002.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The European Commission budget is approved annually. This approval process sets two distinct budget figures. The first is for commitments adopted and reflects the total value of all operations which the Commission expects to be approved over the financial year. The payments budget line on the other hand represents the aggregated spending forecast for the year, based on various approvals from previous years. There is therefore no one single identifiable country or thematic destination for the sum to which the questions refer.
	There is no direct causal or operational linkage between the commitments and payments appropriations figures in external action or pre-accession budget lines. Individual projects or programmes may span several years from the date of commitment, stretching the spending horizon accordingly. In addition the actual rate of forecasted spend can be affected by project or programme-specific or wider external factors.

EU Development Finance

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will break down by main category the Euros104.25 million classified as unallocated/unspecified in the financial tables on page 256 of the Annual Report 2003 from the European Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on the EC Development Policy and the Implementation of External Assistance in 2002.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The information requested is not available. Unallocated/unspecified ODA refers to expenditure that cannot easily be placed within a sector. This may be because a project covers a number of sectors and cannot easily be divided up between them or because expenditure does not fit within any sectoral definition.

EU Development Finance

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will break down by main category the 141.86 million euros of administrative costs of donors in the EU's Official Development Assistance in 2002, as referred to in the financial tables on page 256 of the Annual Report 2003 from the European Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on the EC Development Policy and the Implementation of External Assistance in 2002.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The information requested is not available. Each year the Commission publishes details of its expenditure along with plans for the current year in the Official Journal in February. This includes details of Expenditure on administrative management for the budget lines along with the way in which the commission organises its expenditure. The commission does not routinely publish administrative expenditure by sector.

Project Funding

Tony Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  how many (a) solely state-financed and (b) public-private partnership and private finance initiative projects for which his Department is responsible have been launched in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how much was spent by (a) the Government on solely state-financed projects and (b) the (i) Government and (ii) private sector on public-private and private finance initiative projects for which his Department is responsible in each of the last 10 years.

Hilary Benn: DFID does not record its projects or spending solely under the categories indicated in the questions and the information could not be obtained without incurring a disproportionate cost.
	DFID regards building a healthy private sector in developing countries as essential for poverty reduction. Successful private firms are the principal engines of growth in productivity, employment and income needed to eliminate poverty. DFID's work to encourage private sector development includes but goes well beyond projects directly with the private sector. In summary, DFID works with the public sector to improve the environment for investment and business; with the private sector to expand its access to finance and markets, and to improve its impact on the poor; and with public private partnerships to improve the delivery of public services and technology for the poor.
	For information on PFI projects, the Signed Projects List can be found on the Treasury website. This is at http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/documents/public private partnerships/ppp pfi stats.cfm.

Sugar Regime

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans he has to ensure that the needs of smaller developing sugar producing countries are taken into account when his right hon. Friend negotiates reform of the Common Agricultural Policy.

Hilary Benn: The European Union (EU) Common Market Organisation for sugar is highly distorted and discriminatory and is unsustainable in its current form. Using a system of quotas and prohibitively high tariffs access has been denied to the EU market for all but a handful of developing country suppliers for more than 30 years. In addition, those developing countries without preferential access to the EU sugar market struggle to compete in third markets with the highly subsidised EU sugar exports. The price of sugar on the EU market is kept artificially high with the consumer ultimately paying through the high end price for sugar and products containing sugar. Estimates vary but put the cost to taxpayers at approximately $2 billion each year. Reform is much needed and long overdue.
	The European Commission has not yet tabled any proposals but has set out three options for reform. The Government are still considering which of these specific options represents the best way ahead. Any change to such a highly distorted regime will bring some losers as well as winners. Some of the less efficient traditional preferential suppliers will be affected and may need some sort of transitional assistance to help them adapt. The precise nature and scale of this assistance will depend on the nature and scale of the reform itself. DFID is working closely with other Government Departments to look at the implications of these options for developing countries and identify what assistance might be necessary.

Zambia

Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of (a) the quality of HIV treatment available in Zambia and (b) the extent to which treatment has improved in recent years; and how many people have died from HIV/AIDS in Zambia in each of the last five years.

Hilary Benn: Treatment of HIV is understood to mean treatment of AIDS retroviral infection, through Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART), as well as treatment of the opportunistic infections it causes.
	The number of people who have died of AIDS in Zambia in the last five years is not known; because of stigma and limited diagnostic capacity, AIDS is often not stated or acknowledged as a cause of death. However, from official Government of Zambia figures it is estimated that an average of 100,000 people have died from AIDS in the last five years.
	ART was provided by provincial hospitals in Zambia for the first time in 2003. Over 1,000 clients are accessing this treatment at present. The quality of ART has yet to be assessed. However, while the health sector is under funded (with a resource gap of 94 million per year, or 50 per cent. of the health funding needed), and numbers of health workers are falling (at an estimated 10 per cent. per year) due to emigration and health problems, the quality of AIDS treatment is likely to remain poor.
	Part of DFID's 20 million HIV/AIDS programme in Zambia provides monitoring and evaluation consultancy services in support of monitoring treatment quality. A further 20 million programme is supporting the strengthening of Zambia's health systems and financing the delivery of public health services, including to people living with HIV/AIDS and those affected by associated opportunistic infections.
	Recent efforts to direct limited resources to where they are most needed have resulted in modest improvements. For the first time in many years, and with DFID's support, Zambia had sufficient drugs in 2003 to treat the range of common diseases which afflict poor people, including opportunistic infections due to AIDS. Disease control measures have also improved. For example, the cure rate for TB, a common AIDS opportunistic infection, improved from 50 per cent. to 55 per cent. between 2000 and 2003.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had regarding the establishment of European Union provincial reconstruction teams in Afghanistan.

Adam Ingram: NATO is developing plans to extend ISAF's influence beyond Kabul. The United Kingdom has offered to lead a second Provincial Reconstruction Team.

Parliamentary Questions

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will answer the Question, Ref:146515, tabled by the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South on 5 January, on the death in British custody of Baha Mousa.

Adam Ingram: I replied to the hon. Member on 12 March 2004, Official Report, column 1773W.

Royal Air Force

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many responses the RAF Continuous Attitudes Survey received for the consultation round launched in September 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: The RAF Continuous General Attitude Survey is issued in February, May, August and November each year. On 1 August 2003 (the last date for which information is available), 2,000 surveys were issued and 1,057 replies were received, giving a response rate of 52.9 per cent.

Departmental Buildings

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the (a) land and (b) buildings in central London owned by (i) his Department, (ii) its agencies and (iii) the UK armed forces, giving the value in each case.

Ivor Caplin: The National Asset Register, (NAR), published by HM Treasury, provides a comprehensive list and valuation of all of the assets owned by every Government department and their sponsored bodies. A copy of the 2001 NAR has been placed in the Library of the House and can be accessed on the HM Treasury website at http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk. It should be noted that these are asset valuations and do not represent the disposal value of these assets.
	In central London the MoD, (including Agencies and Service personnel), holds a number of major properties. Those which have a realisable value to the Department have been valued and included in the NAR.
	Such properties are listed in the table with the NAR values shown comprising the sum of the land value and the value of the various buildings. Service Families Accommodation and properties used solely by Visiting Forces and Reserve Forces have been excluded.
	
		
			 Property Location Use NAR Value () 
		
		
			 Chelsea Barracks Chelsea Barracks 58,530,000 
			 DCSA St Vincent Whitehall Communications 14,918,000 
			 Great Scotland Yard Whitehall Offices 2,557,000 
			 Horse Guards Whitehall Barracks 6,130,000 
			 Hyde Park Barracks Knightsbridge Barracks 72,170,000 
			 Main Building Whitehall Offices 65,909,000 
			 Northumberland House Whitehall Offices 11,736,000 
			 Old War Office Whitehall Offices 63,370,000 
			 RCDS Seaford House Westminster College 1,667,000 
			 Regents Park Barracks Regents Park Barracks 29,190,000 
			 Wellington Barracks Petty France Barracks 106,210,000 
		
	
	Following the Chief Secretary's letter of 10 September, there is an automatic presumption against locating new and reconstituted activity in London and the South-East and a moratorium against all Government Departments renewing, creating new leases or purchasing freehold property for office-based activities over 2000 sq. m. The Lyons Review reported to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 15 March.

Disposal Services Agency

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many (a) vehicles, (b) display systems, radios and televisions, (c) small generators, (d) plant and machinery items, (e) tyres and (f) uniforms disposed of by the Disposal Services Agency since 1997 were acquired as Urgent Operational Requirements; and what the value of each of these categories was when (i) purchased and (ii) when sold;
	(2)  how many (a) vehicles, (b) display systems, radios and televisions, (c) small generators, (d) plant and machinery items, (e) tyres and (f) uniforms disposed of by the Disposal Services Agency since 1997 were un-used at the time of sale; and what the value was of each of these categories (i) when purchased and (ii) when sold;
	(3)  how much (a) IT equipment, (b) office furniture, (c) telecommunications equipment, (d) electrical equipment, (e) scientific equipment, (f) unwanted warehouse stocks and (g) clothing and fabrics disposed of by the Disposal Services Agency since 1997 was unused at the time of sale; and what the value was of each category of equipment (i) when purchased and (ii) when sold;
	(4)  how much (a) IT equipment, (b) telecommunications equipment, (c) electrical equipment, (d) scientific equipment, (e) unwanted warehouse stocks and (f) clothing and fabrics disposed of by the Disposal Services Agency since 1997 were acquired as Urgent Operational Requirements; and what the value was of each category of equipment (i) when purchased and (ii) when sold.

Adam Ingram: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Drugs

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many convictions there were for drug-related offences among armed forces personnel in calendar year 2003.

Ivor Caplin: The number of convictions under the Service Discipline Acts for drug related offences in each of the three Services for the calendar year 2003 is as follows:
	
		
			 Armed forces Number of convictions 
		
		
			 Naval Service 9 
			 Army 10 
			 RAF 2 
		
	
	Drugs misuse may also be an aggravating factor in other offences.

Environmentally Sustainable Procurement

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in what ways environmentally sustainable procurement strategies within the Department have driven innovation in the design and supply of products.

Adam Ingram: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment on 10 March 2004, Official Report, columns 154243W.
	The Ministry of Defence is fully involved in the work of the interdepartmental Sustainable Procurement Group (SPG), and is also contributing to the development of the procurement section of the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate.
	To address all aspects of sustainable procurement across the Ministry of Defence, we established in 2003 a Sustainable Procurement Working Group (SPWG). To date, the SPWG's primary focus has been on the environmental aspects of equipment procurement and reviewing progress on departmental compliance with policies for procuring sustainable timber, food and construction.

Future Rapid Effects System

Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will make a decision on the Future Rapid Effects System; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 27 January 2004, Official Report, column 245W to the hon. Member for Aldershot (Mr. Howarth).

Gibraltar

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  which military bands will visit Gibraltar in 2004;
	(2)  which regiments will visit Gibraltar for the Tercentenary celebrations;
	(3)  what role the Royal Air Force will play in the Tercentenary celebrations of Gibraltar;
	(4)  what part the Royal Marines will play in the Tercentenary celebrations in Gibraltar.

Adam Ingram: Plans are in hand for the following regiments to visit Gibraltar as part of the Tercentenary commemorations:
	On 20 March, 60 Support Squadron Royal Engineers (on exercise in Gibraltar) will exercise the right of the Corps of Royal Engineers to march through Gibraltar. The Band of the Royal Engineers will provide marching music.
	19/5 (Gibraltar 177983) Battery Royal Artillery will fire the Royal Gun Salute in Gibraltar on 21 April on the occasion of HM the Queen's Birthday.
	Detachments from 19/5 Battery, 23 Commando HQ Battery, 22 Battery and 21 Battery, together with a detachment from the Royal Engineers and the band of the Prince of Wales Division, will take part in the Queen's Birthday Parade on 10 June.
	Small detachments from the following regiments will take part in the following military ceremonial events:
	
		
			  Ceremonial events 
		
		
			 The Royal Anglian Regiment Ceremonial Guards on 8 May and 12 June 
			 The Devonshire and Dorset Regiment Ceremony of the Keys on 13 May 
			 The Light Infantry Ceremony of the Keys on 13 May 
			 The Queen's Lancashire Regiment Ceremonial Guard on 17 July 
			 The King's Own Royal Border Regiment Ceremonial Guard on 31 July 
			 Coldstream Guards Ceremonial Guard on 18 September 
			 Grenadier Guards Ceremony of the Keys on 14 October 
		
	
	A small detachment from Royal Air Force Gibraltar will take part in the Queen's Birthday Parade on 10 June.
	In early autumn and over the weekend 35 September, Royal Air Force Gibraltar will commemorate Battle of Britain Day with a series of private and public events. The Band of the Royal Air Force College will perform in public.
	The Royal Marines will be taking part in two important ceremonial Tercentenary events: the Queens Birthday Parade which will be held on 10 June 2004 and the Granting of the Freedom of the City to the Royal Navy on 4 August 2004.
	Queens Birthday Parade (10 June 2004)
	For this parade the Commando Logistic Regiment RM will be providing a guard which will consist of 40 all ranks. The services and regiments taking part in this parade are those that hold the Freedom of the City of Gibraltar; that is the Royal Marines, the Royal Regiment of Artillery, the Corps of Royal Engineers and the Royal Gibraltar Regiment whose colour will be trooped.
	Granting of the Freedom of the City of Gibraltar to the Royal Navy (4 August 2004)
	The Royal Marines will provide an element of service personnel who will receive the Freedom. Specifically, a Band of the Royal Marines and a troop of 30 will be on parade on this important and historic event.

Military Bases (Contamination)

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 10 March, Official Report, columns 149091W, on military bases (contamination), 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library a list of the land quality assessments prepared across the defence estate since 1995;
	(2)  for what regional areas within the defence estate this information is gathered; and whether the data is collected by the Defence Estates Agency.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Ministerial Speeches

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many speeches he made between 9 June 2003 and 1 February 2004; and where a copy of each speech can be obtained.

Ivor Caplin: Between 9 June 2003 and 1 February 2004, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence made 11 speeches. This figure does not include speeches in the House nor addresses to the internal Ministry of Defence audience. Copies of three of these speeches are currently available on the departmental website, at: www.news.mod.uk/news/press/news speeches.asp. The page is currently in the process of being updated, and all 11 will be available there shortly.

Defence Contracts (Wales)

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list Welsh firms that have contracts with the Ministry of Defence; and how much departmental expenditure has been with these firms in each year since 1997.

Adam Ingram: The Department's records show that the suppliers listed have received MOD contracts under which some or all of the work involved will have been performed in Wales. All these suppliers have received payments on these contracts exceeding 1 million in the financial year 200203:
	Aircraft Maintenance Support
	Alenia Marconi Systems
	BAe Systems
	Brama Brown and Root and Marshall
	Cogent Defence and Security
	Cowlin Construction Enersys
	Dara
	General Dynamics UK
	Golley Slater and Partners
	Irvin-GQ
	Ilanelec Precision Engineering
	North Midland Construction
	Qinetiq
	Sodexho Defence Services
	Thales Air Defence
	Thales Optics
	The Royal Mint
	Watkin Jones and Son
	WS Atkins Facilities
	The value of the contracts where some or all of the work will have been performed in Wales during the period 199798 to 200203 is as follows.
	
		
			   million 
		
		
			 199798 100 
			 199899 Not available 
			 19992000 125 
			 200001 141 
			 200102 252 
			 200203 227

Defence Staff (Wales)

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the changes in Ministry of Defence staff in Wales for the November 2003 to January 2004 quarter.

Ivor Caplin: Staffing levels and changes for Ministry of Defence civilian staff in Wales (full-time equivalent figures for industrial and non-industrial, permanent staff, excluding Royal Fleet Auxiliaries and those on career breaks, long term sick leave, secondments etc.) are as follows:
	
		
			 Date Civilian staff 
		
		
			 January 2004 3,880 
			 December 2003 3,900 
			 November 2003 3,940 
			 October 2003 3,950 
		
	
	This includes Trading Fund staff.
	Full time equivalent is a measure of the size of the workforce that takes account of the fact that some people work part-time.
	When rounding civilian staff numbers to the nearest ten, numbers ending in five have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.
	Changes are calculated from unrounded data, and then rounded to the nearest 10.

Naval Personnel (Asbestos)

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if his Department will review the disabled pension paid to ex-Naval servicemen suffering lung problems resulting from asbestos insulation in ships.

Ivor Caplin: Ex-Naval servicemen suffering as a result of their service from lung problems resulting from asbestos insulation in ships have the same entitlement to disablement pensions as any other ex-Servicemen suffering from injury or illness due to service. We have no plan to change these entitlements retrospectively. The House will be aware that for the future we have recognised the need to review our arrangements to bring them into line with modern good practice as part of the Armed Forces Pensions and Compensation Bill currently before the House.

Officer Numbers

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the expected retirement dates of all officers above the rank of OF 2 in the (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) RAF, broken down by rank; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: It is not possible to provide meaningful aggregated information due to the complexity of service conditions relating to retirement. Each of the services has its individual regulations and, indeed, within each service retirement criteria can vary considerably depending on factors such as length of service, rank and professional speciality.

Procurement

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total expenditure was on procurement by each of the services in the last year for which figures are available; and how much of the procurement budget for each was spent in Scotland.

Adam Ingram: Details of procurement expenditure are not available broken down by service. Up to 199899 United Kingdom Defence Statistics, published annually by the Defence Analytical Services Agency in UK Defence Statistics (available in the Library of the House), identified expenditure on equipment for the Sea, Land and Air environments together with other equipment not specific to an environment. This division does not necessarily match the end destination of the equipment. For example not all aerospace equipment is used solely by the RAF. Since 199899 the format for recording expenditure has changed following the introduction of Smart Acquisition and the move from cash to Resource Accounting and Budgeting (RAB). Expenditure on procurement is now subsumed within the Principal Headings of the Defence Budget (Table 1.3 of the 2003 UK Defence Statistics). The Government's most recent expenditure plans for Defence (Cm 5912) published in May 2003 also identify procurement expenditure under the RAB regime. The 200203 accounts of the Defence Procurement Agency, HC2, are available in the Library of the House, and provide a summary of its expenditure on equipment procurement against the major Defence capability areas. Detail of equipment expenditure by region has not been included in the UK Defence Statistics since 2001.

Regimental Unit Designations

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will use the opportunity of unit re-organisations consequent to the Defence White Paper better to reflect and recognise the lineage of current regiments, including regiments disbanded under previous re-organisations, in the designation of companies and other units below regiment level.

Ivor Caplin: Any re-organisation would be based on the need to ensure that the Army is able to respond to the changing strategic environment and meet the operational challenges of the future. This is vital if the armed forces are to be prepared for the broad range of operational tasks that they are likely to be engaged in. However, history and tradition are, of course, also important and are always considered.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what requirement has been established for unmanned aerial vehicles; and what timetable has been set for the requirement;
	(2)  what plans there are for unmanned aerial vehicles to operate from aircraft carriers.

Adam Ingram: We currently have a requirement to provide for the land environment accurate, timely and high quality imagery to UK commanders. To meet this requirement the Watchkeeper programme is on track to deliver from 2006 an intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (IS TAR) system using tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Watchkeeper will subsume the in-service Phoenix UAV capability. In response to an urgent operational requirement arising in Iraq, we have acquired Desert Hawk mini-UAVs from the United States. I am withholding details about their use in accordance with Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information for reasons of operational security.
	There are currently no plans to procure other operational UAVs. We have established the Joint UAV Experimentation Programme (JUEP) to explore the wider operational utility of UAV systems in the joint battlespace, including an investigation into the utility of UAVs for maritime operations. Under the Future Offensive Air System programme we expect to look at a potential mix of platforms, including Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAVs), to meet our future strike capability from around the end of the next decade.

Wind Farms

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many formal applications for wind power projects were opposed by his Department in each of the last five years.

Ivor Caplin: The number of formal applications for wind power projects objected to by the MOD is detailed as follows:
	
		
			  Number of objections 
		
		
			 2001 2 
			 2002 3 
			 2003 4 
		
	
	Note:
	1. No figures available prior to 2001.

Zimbabwe

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of people living in Zimbabwe who are entitled to a British Army pension.

Ivor Caplin: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on elections in Afghanistan.

Mike O'Brien: The UK supports the efforts being taken by the UN and the Afghan Transitional Administration to prepare for elections later this year. The UK has contributed 3 million to these preparations to date, and DFID are considering committing further funds. We encourage the international community to fully support the Afghan Government and the UN in their preparations for the elections. This will be one of the issues covered at the Berlin Conference on Afghanistan on 31 March1 April, which I will attend.

Bangladesh

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Bangladesh about the protection of human rights of members of the Ahmadiyya community.

Mike O'Brien: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) on 10 February 2004, Official Report, column 1302W.

Beef

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 5 March 2004, Official Report, column 1188W, on beef, what the monetary value of the contract with the principal supplier is in relation to beef.

Bill Rammell: The supplier spends approximately 20,000 per annum on beef bought in relation to its contract with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Burma

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his European counterparts regarding economic sanctions on Burma.

Mike O'Brien: The EU Common Position aims to target the military regime and its associates while avoiding measures that hurt, as far as possible, the Burmese people. We have regular discussions with our EU partners on this.

Burma

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Burmese Government regarding human rights in that country.

Mike O'Brien: I regularly raise the Government's concerns on human rights in Burma with the Burmese authorities, most recently when I met the Burmese Ambassador on 23 February. We co-sponsored the UN General Assembly Human Rights Resolution on Burma last December and will play an active role in the forthcoming UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva. We strongly support the efforts of Sergio Pinheiro the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights.

Burma

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what representations he has made to the Burmese Government on the prolonged detention under Article 10a of the 1975 State Protection Act of political prisoners who have already served their sentences;
	(2)  what representations he has made to the Government of Burma on the (a) detention and (b) imprisonment of 52 persons after 30 May 2003.

Mike O'Brien: We have repeatedly called on the Burmese regime to release fully all political prisoners and to allow them to play an active role in national reconciliation in Burma.

Burma

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he received on the construction of a new road by the Burma Army south-east from Mawchi.

Mike O'Brien: I am aware of a report from Christian Solidarity Worldwide, compiled on the basis of information from Karenni groups, of a road being built by the Burmese army to access a mine south east of Mawchi in Kayah State. Security restrictions prevent staff from our embassy from travelling to this area to verify this information.

Burma

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Government of Myanmar regarding the (a) civil and (b) political rights of the Karen people.

Mike O'Brien: We are concerned by the issue of ethnic minority rights and the abuses suffered by ethnic groups in Burma including the Karen people. The UK has repeatedly called on the Burmese military regime to enter into genuine and substantive dialogue with all political parties and ethnic groups in Burma leading to national reconciliation.

Butler Committee

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Butler Committee Inquiry will post original submissions made to the inquiry on its website; and whether he has placed any restrictions on publication of information provided to the committee.

Bill Rammell: The Butler Committee's news release of 12 February states that the review will be carried out in private. Given the nature of much of the material the Committee will receive, normal national security rules will apply.

Cyprus

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications of the possible reunification of Cyprus for British interests on the island; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The UK has a very strong, indirect interest in a successful Cyprus settlement, which has informed our support for the UN Secretary-General's good offices mission.
	A possible Cyprus settlement will have little impact on the day to day operations of the Sovereign Base Areas (SBAs).
	The UK has made an offer to the UN Secretary-General to cede part of the SBAs to the new United Cyprus Republic in order to facilitate a settlement. The land offer will only come in to effect if there is a settlement and the island unites under the terms of the UN Secretary-General's proposals. The operational effectiveness of the SBAs will not be affected.

EU Constitution

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the United Kingdom red lines in respect of the EU Constitutional Treaty; whether the draft Treaty meets these conditions; and if he will make a statement on progress that has been made in negotiating on each of these issues.

Bill Rammell: I refer my hon. Friend to Cm. 5934, the Government's White Paper on its approach to the IGC, which sets out the UK's position on the draft Constitutional Treaty.
	As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister told the House in December, with regard to the IGC,
	nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.[Official Report, 15 December 2003; Vol. 415. c. 1320.] There has been no formal agreement on any single point of the draft Treaty. It is for the Irish Presidency to build on the progress made under the Italians.
	The Irish Presidency are currently consulting all member states on the prospects for resuming negotiations on the Constitutional Treaty for the EU. They will report to the European Council on 2526 March with their conclusions.

EU Constitution

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's position is with regard to the new draft proposals of an EU constitution presented by the Irish Presidency.

Bill Rammell: The Irish Presidency has not presented any draft proposals on the EU Constitutional Treaty. The Irish Presidency are currently consulting all member states on the prospects for resuming negotiations on the Constitutional Treaty for the EU. They will report to the European Council on 2526 March with their conclusions.

Gender Equality

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to ratify and implement the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women Optional Protocol.

Bill Rammell: The Government are currently reviewing the United Kingdom's position in relation to a number of international human rights instruments. This review includes the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women which allows the right of individual petition. We will announce the outcomes of the review to Parliament as soon as is reasonably possible.

Haiti

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the role played by small arms provided by other states during recent violence in Haiti.

Bill Rammell: The proliferation of small arms is of particular concern in Haiti. However, it is difficult to assess the extent of the problem of proliferation and the source of the weapons as the quality of record keeping and standards of import controls in Haiti is very poor. Furthermore with no British embassy in Port-au-Prince our assessments are limited.
	Regionally, the UK is providing relevant support to the CARICOM Task Force on Crime and Security, of which Haiti is a member. Last year we commissioned a report on the problem, which highlighted a series of recommendations to help address the issue. This report was presented to the CARICOM in February 2004.

Iraq

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people have been detained by coalition forces in Iraq since major hostilities ceased; how many are in custody; and how many of these are non-Iraqis, broken down by nationality.

Adam Ingram: I have been asked to reply.
	We do not hold data on the number of people detained by coalition forces as a whole. As at 8 March 2004, 83 individuals are being held by UK forces at the Divisional Temporary Detention Facility in Multinational Division (SE) in Iraq. Of these, three are non-Iraqione Sudanese, one Saudi Arabian and one Egyptian.

Iraq

David Chidgey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps (a) he is taking and (b) he plans to take to ensure that British companies involve Iraqi people in the management of and employment in their operations in Iraq.

Mike O'Brien: It is important that UK companies play their part in developing Iraq, through the creation of joint business ventures, transfer of skills and technology and working with Iraqi partners in providing jobs and prosperity for the Iraqi people. UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) has been working with a number of stakeholders such as the Coalition Provisional Authority, Iraqi ministries and both the Iraqi and UK private sector to help facilitate contacts. UKTI has also arranged a number of events in London, and in neighbouring countries, aimed at explaining the modalities of doing business in Iraq and bidding for reconstruction contracts. The British Reconstruction Office in Baghdad helps UK firms to identify potential Iraqi partners.

Iraq

David Chidgey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what guarantees he offers to British companies wanting to assist in the reconstruction of Iraq regarding the safety of their (a) employees and (b) assets.

Mike O'Brien: We do not offer guarantees to British companies regarding the safety of employees and company assets while working in Iraq. British companies considering sending staff to Iraq are advised to consult the current travel advice, published on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website, www.fco.gov.uk, which advises against visits to Iraq unless there is a strong commercial or professional reason to visit. Companies with planned involvement in reconstruction projects are also advised to contact the Iraq Unit in UK Trade and Investment for further information.
	We do provide general advice and information on a range of issues to British companies wanting to assist in the reconstruction process in Iraq but it is for the companies themselves to assess the risks of and take the necessary measures to ensure the safety of their employees and assets.

Iraq

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to work with the other occupying powers in Iraq to ensure that (a) those Iraqi workers who were dismissed for trade union activities under Saddam Hussein are reinstated and (b) the International Labour Organisation is invited to assist the framing of Iraq's new labour and employment laws.

Bill Rammell: holding answer of 10 March 2004
	Judging the claims for reinstatement of Iraqi workers dismissed under the former regime is a matter for Iraqis. We attach great importance to the establishment of free trade unions to prevent similar abouses in the future. The Government have called on the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) to assist in the creation of democratic trades unions in Iraq. To this end, the ICFTU organised a fact-finding mission to Iraq in February, with support from British officials. We also used our influence in favour of the Transitional Administrative Law, signed by the Iraqi Governing Council on 8 March 2004, including guarantees of 'free peaceable assembly and the right to join associations freely, as well as the right to form and join unions and political parties freely, in accordance with the law'.
	The Coalition Provisional Authority, in conjunction with other organisations, is working on a revised draft of the labour law. They are utilising the skills of not only the ILO, but also the Iraqi Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and the US Department of Labor, as well as several other professionals.

Maldives

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of respect for human rights in the Maldives.

Mike O'Brien: In December 2003, the Maldives established a Human Rights Commission to protect, promote and preserve human rights in the Maldives. Officials from our high commission in Colombo called on the chair of the commission in January, and expressed to him our concern about reports of human rights abuses in the Maldives. We will continue to monitor the situation closely, and are considering with our European partners what further action we might take.

Maldives

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on relations between the EU and the Maldives.

Mike O'Brien: EU Heads of Mission in Colombo maintain a close interest in the Maldives and many visit regularly. Interest has been heightened in the light of recent events and the reports of human rights abuses.

Maldives

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the current (a) bilateral treaties, (b) agreements and (c) protocols between the British Government and the government of the Maldives.

Mike O'Brien: The UK has three such agreements with the Maldives: a 1953 Agreement on the Protection of the Islands; a 1976 Exchange of Notes terminating a 1965 agreement relating to military access; and a 1996 Agreement concerning air services.

Maldives

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the current Government advice is to British citizens in respect of (a) bilateral trade with and (b) tourism in the Maldives.

Mike O'Brien: Advice on trade issues is usually tailored to meet particular needs of individual British companies considering business in the Maldives. Travel advice for the Maldives, produced by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), is available on the FCO website: www.fco.gov.uk. Tourists are advised that while most visits are trouble free, they should take care of their valuables and other personnel possessions. We also draw attention to the fact that possession of drugs carries severe penalties and that public observance of a religion other than Islam is prohibited.

Maldives

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British citizens visited the Maldives in 2003 (a) on official business, (b) on commercial missions and (c) on holiday.

Mike O'Brien: The total number of foreign visitors to the Maldives in 2003 was 563,593, according to Maldivian Government Statistics. We do not have figures either for British visitors, or for the purposes of visit.

Maldives

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received on behalf of prisoners at Maafushi Island Prison in the Maldives.

Mike O'Brien: Since their formation in exile in November 2003, the Maldivian Democratic Party has raised, with Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials, human rights issues, including the condition and treatment of prisoners in Maafushi Island Prison.

Project Funding

Tony Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  how many (a) solely state-financed and (b) public-private partnership and private finance initiative projects for which his Department is responsible have been launched in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how much was spent by (a) the Government on solely state-financed projects and (b) the (i) the Government and (ii) private sector on public-private and private finance initiative projects for which his Department is responsible, in each of the last 10 years.

Bill Rammell: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) major capital investment projects cover Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and our Estate. The value of these, and details of major new contracts let on the estate are captured in the FCO annual Departmental Reports. Copies of which are available in the Library of the House. The values are summarised in the following table.
	
		Long term capital projects
		
			  Nominal costs Estimated provision 
		
		
			 200304 ICT 36,240 
			 200304 Estate Building Projects 35,900 
			  Total 72,140 
			
			 200203 ICT 49,447 
			 200203 Estate Building Projects 50,500 
			  Total 99,947 
			
			 200102 ICT 42,400 
			 200102 Estate Building Projects 54,600 
			  Total 97,000 
			
			 200001 ICT 32,730 
			 200001 Estate Building Projects 72,886 
			  Total 105,616 
			
			 19992000 ICT 31,799 
			 19992000 Estate Building Projects 65,494 
			  Total 97,293 
			
			 199899 ICT 29,601 
			 199899 Estate Building Projects 46,080 
			  Total 75,681 
			
			 199798 ICT 24,285 
			 199798 Estate Building Projects 51,045 
			  Total 75,330 
			
			 199697 ICT 10,947 
			 199697 Estate Building Projects 57,761 
			  Total 68,708 
			
			 199596 ICT 18,337 
			 199596 Estate Building Projects 94,436 
			  Total 112,773 
			
			 199495 ICT (3) 
			 199495 Estate Building Projects (3) 
			  Total (3) 
		
	
	(3) Data not available
	Source:
	AppendixDepartmental Report
	We have had only two PFI projects in the last 10 years:
	(i) The construction of a new Embassy in Berlin in 2000, with a capital value of 17.1 million,
	(ii) The FCO Telecommunications Network in 2001, with a capital value of 73.9 million.
	Data by region and numbers of projects can be provided only at disproportionate costs.

Serbia and Montenegro

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of reports of claims by the UN War Crimes Tribunal that indicted Bosnian Serbs may be resident in Belgrade; what steps he has taken to establish the veracity of these claims; and what representations the UK has made to the Government of Serbia and Montenegro on this issue.

Bill Rammell: We cannot confirm that Karadzic and Mladic are in Belgrade. It is essential that all countries in the region co-operate with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, and that Serbia and Montenegro do more to help bring indictees to justice.
	The UK, with the international community, continues to press for the transfer of Karadzic, Mladic (and Gotovina) to the Hague. They should surrender or the countries of the region should find and arrest them.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Sudan on the effects of its military action on civilians in Darfur.

Chris Mullin: We are in almost daily contact with the Government of Sudan and the various Darfur groups about the situation in Darfur and the effects of military action on civilians there. We have raised our concerns at the highest levels in Khartoum, and both our ambassador and the UK special representative for Sudan have recently discussed the matter with the First Vice-President. We are urging the government to negotiate a cease-fire, facilitate humanitarian access to all those in need, and resume talks to find a peaceful solution to Darfur's problems.

Venezuela

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what communications his Department has had with the Government of Venezuela following the recent violence in Caracas.

Bill Rammell: Following the demonstrations in Caracas on 27 February 2004, the British Ambassador has called on the President of the Supreme Court, Dr. Ivan Rincon, the Minister of Energy and Mines, Mr. Rafael Ramirez and the Fiscal General, Dr. Isaias Rodriguez. The United Kingdom is fully aligned with the EU statement on Venezuela issued on 4 March 2004, calling on all parties involved in the Venezuelan political process to work towards a democratic and peaceful solution to the crisis.

Western Sahara

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make an assessment of fishing in the Western Sahara; and what discussions he has had with the Moroccan authorities on the threat of over-fishing.

Bill Rammell: The EU has on several occasions held discussions with Morocco on fishing since the expiry of the EU Morocco Fisheries Agreement on 30 November 1999.
	We have had no recent bilateral discussions with Morocco regarding fishing.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Sure Start Maternity Grant

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many mothers in Crosby have taken up the Sure Start maternity grant.

Chris Pond: Sure Start Maternity Grants (SSMGs) replaced Social Fund Maternity Payments from March 2000 at the rate of 200 per child, this was increased to 300 in September 2000 and to 500 for children born on or after 16 June 2002. Sure Start Maternity Grants are single payments that are paid to either the mother of a child or their partner.
	The information is not available in the format requested; the available information is in the table.
	
		Applications and awards for Sure Start Maternity Grants for Knowsley and Sefton Jobcentre Plus District.
		
			  SSMG applications SSMG awards 
		
		
			 200001 2,076 1,867 
			 200102 2,270 2,002 
			 200203 2,714 2,254 
			 200304(4) 2,634 2,129 
		
	
	(4) Data for 200304 is for April 2003 to February 2004 only. Note:
	Crosby Parliamentary Constituency is part of the Knowsley and Sefton Jobcentre Plus District which was formed by merging Knowsley Social Fund District and Sefton Social Fund District in October 2003. For comparison purposes, data before the merger is given for Knowsley Social Fund District and Sefton Social Fund District
	combined.
	Source
	DWP Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System.

Child Support Agency

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the handling of the case of Mr. Graeme Lester of West Ewell by the Child Support Agency.

Chris Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. As individual cases are confidential he will write to the hon. Member privately about Mr. Lester's case.

Council Tax Benefit

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the take-up rate of council tax benefit was in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland in (a) 2002 and (b) 2003;
	(2)  what the average rate is of council tax benefit take-up.

Chris Pond: The information requested is not available. National estimates of take-up of council tax benefit are presented in the DWP report series 'Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up'. Latest estimates relate to financial year 200102 and copies of the published report are held in the Library.
	Estimates of council tax benefit take-up cover private households in Great Britain; sub-national estimates cannot be reliably produced.

Employers' Liability Insurance

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps are being taken to deal with employers who operate without compulsory employers' liability insurance.

Des Browne: Enforcement is undertaken on a day to day basis by Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspectors. Recent HSE research indicates a high level of compliance, over 99 per cent.
	Nevertheless, the Government's recent report of the review of Employers' Liability Compulsory Insurance (ELCI) sets out a range of actions to improve enforcement. These include commitments to monitor the take-up and ensure ELCI compliance from bodies that contract with the public sector, following publication of new guidance.
	A copy of the report is available in the Library.

Employers' Liability Insurance

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure enforcement of compulsory employers' liability insurance at local level; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: Enforcement of employers' liability compulsory insurance at local level is undertaken by the Health and Safety Executive. Recent research indicates a high level of compliance, over 99 per cent.

Employment, Social Policy, Health andConsumer Affairs Council

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the outcome of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council held on 4 March was; what the Government's stance on the issues discussed was, including its voting record; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Pond: I represented the UK at this Council, accompanied by my hon. friend, the Parliamentary Under Secretary for Employment Relations, Competition and Consumers (Mr. Sutcliffe).
	The main business was agreement of a package of ESPHCA Council contributions to the forthcoming Spring European Council meeting. There was a public debate on the 'key issues' paper summarising priorities in employment policy, social protection and inclusion.
	The UK welcomed the key issues paper, particularly the single set of key messages that covered both the employment and social aspects of the Lisbon agenda. We highlighted the need to focus on creating more and better jobs in line with the employment targets set out at Lisbon in 2000 and refined at Stockholm in 2001 and Barcelona in 2002.
	All member states welcomed the forthcoming tripartite social summit as a useful vehicle for social partners' contribution to achieving the Lisbon goals.
	The Council also noted without comment: the work programmes for the Social Protection Committee and the Employment Committee; a series of reports on Presidency events; and a report by the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalisation.
	The Council discussed the Commission's review of the working time directive informally over lunch.
	There were no votes taken at this council.

Ethnic Minorities Policies

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) advice and (b) support he receives in ensuring that policies he implements in regard to ethnic minorities reach their target.

Des Browne: The policy initiatives we implement are generally subject to performance monitoring processes. The data that we gather allows month by month monitoring of performance against targets if these have been set. We also monitor our own services to ensure that ethnic minority customers receive equal treatment and benefit equally from our provision.
	The Department for Work and Pensions leads on the work of the Ethnic Minority Employment Task Force, created in response to the recommendations made by the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit. The Task Force comprises Ministers from Departments responsible for implementing the recommendationsDWP, DTI, DfES, Home Office and ODPMas well as representatives from external stakeholders such as the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE), the Confederation of British Industry and the Trades Union Congress. The Task Force is an important body, offering advice and helping to steer our policies.
	We realise that partnershipat national, regional and local levelsis fundamental to the success of our diversity policies. As such, we are in a constant state of engagement with our partners, stakeholders and relevant pressure groups, seeking advice on current and future initiatives. As part of this we are in the process of setting up a stakeholder group, the chair of which will become a member of the Task Force itself.

New Deal

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Tatton (Mr. Osborne) on 10 February 2004, Official Report, column 1342W, on the New Deal for Young People, what the projected cost is for the unit costing system to be operational in April; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Tatton (Mr. Osborne) on 10 February 2004, Official Report, column 1342W, on the New Deal for Young People, what the original projected date of completion was for the Resource Management System; what the current projected completion date is for the system; what the original projected cost of the system was; what the current projected cost of the system is; what the reasons are for the delays in introducing the system on time; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: Our initial aim was for the Department's Resource Management System (RMS) to become operational from April 2003, with costs estimated at 144 million 1 . However, initial negotiations with suppliers resulted in proposals that did not meet the Department's requirements, both in terms of value for money and management of the system.
	Competition for the contract for Resource Management Systems operations work is in progress under EU rules. We have advertised for the provision of operational services through the Official Journal of the European Union and a small number of potential bidders have qualified. A statement of requirements is being drawn up with the aim of issuing an Invitation to Tender in April 2004, and awarding a contract in August 2004.
	Costs and completion dates will be determined during the tendering process but planning assumptions are that roll out of the new system will commence from September 2005 for 12 months, with likely costs estimated at 151 million 1 .
	Information on the projected cost of the unit costing system, scheduled to be operational in April, is not separately available.
	1 Figures are rounded to nearest million.

Unemployment (Jarrow)

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what further measures are being taken to reduce youth unemployment in (a) the Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) Tyne and Wear and (d) the United Kingdom;
	(2)  what action the Government have taken to help reduce unemployment in the Jarrow constituency since 1997.

Des Browne: Through a combination of economic stability and radical labour market reforms, more than 1.7 million more people are in work now than in 1997 and unemployment is at its lowest level since 1975. Despite a period of global economic insecurity the UK has prospered so that both the UK employment rate and ILO unemployment rate are the best of the major industrialised (G7) countries.
	Through Jobcentre Plus, we are providing everyone of working agethe unemployed, lone parents, sick and disabled peoplewith advice, guidance and a full range of support to help them move into work.
	Jarrow has shared in this success. As well as the reductions in claimant unemployment in Jarrow since 1997, long term youth unemployment has been cut by 85 per cent. The local Jobcentre has played an important part in these achievements, helping clients move into work and working closely with employers. By the end of December 2003, the New Deal, had helped over 479,500 young people move from welfare into work in the UK, including over 7,500 in the South Tyneside and Gateshead District and over 1,200 in Jarrow.
	From April 2004 New Deal for Partners will be re-introduced throughout the South Tyneside and Gateshead district running alongside Work Focused Interviews for Partners as part of the Government's initiative to encourage partners of benefit claimants to become economically active and thereby reduce the number of households where currently no-one works.
	We have now introduced Progress 2 Work/LinkUp, a support programme to help the most disadvantaged take up training provision and ultimately move into employment. These client groups include people with drugs and alcohol problems, homeless people and ex-offenders.

Winter Fuel Allowance

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many senior citizens in Crosby have benefited from the winter fuel allowance since 1997.

Malcolm Wicks: The requested information is only available from 19992000.This is in the following table. Details for this winter are not yet available because applications can be made up to 30 March.
	
		
			  Payments made 
		
		
			 19992000 14,965 
			 200001 16,615 
			 200102 16,835 
			 200203 17,020 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest five.
	2. Figures taken from the Matching Intelligence Data Analysis Service Winter Fuel Payments exercise.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, 100 per cent. samples.

Winter Fuel Allowance

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many eligible Scottish pensioners had applied for and had not received winter fuel payments by (a) 1 December 2003, (b) 1 January and (c) 1 February.

Malcolm Wicks: It is not possible to say how many pensioners living in Scotland are eligible for a winter fuel payment this winter. The great majority of pensioners who were eligible were paid before Christmas without having to apply. It is not possible at present to say how many payments have been made to pensioners in Scotland but the information will be placed in the Library later in the year.

Winter Fuel Allowance

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criteria are used to decide claims by (a) refugees and (b) asylum seekers for winter fuel payment.

Malcolm Wicks: The Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 excludes persons subject to immigration control (mainly asylum seekers) from income-related and other non-contributory social security benefits, from 3 April 2000 the Home Office is responsible for supporting and accommodating asylum seekers awaiting a determination of their case. Therefore, asylum seekers would not be eligible for a Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment. However, those asylum seekers in receipt of income-related benefits prior to 3 April 2000 continue to be entitled to social security benefits, including a Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment provided they have attained the age of 60 in the qualifying week.
	Asylum seekers granted refugee status are no longer subject to immigration control and are entitled to social security benefits on the same basis as UK nationals. A person granted refugee status would therefore qualify for a winter fuel payment in the same way as other UK residents aged 60 or over.

CABINET OFFICE

Regulatory Impact Assessments

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make a statement on the monitoring of the (a) quality and (b) thoroughness of regulatory impact assessments.

Douglas Alexander: Cabinet Office Regulatory Impact Unit (CORIU) continues to work with departments to ensure that Regulatory Impact Assessments (RIAs) are consistent with the most recent guidance. From April this year departments will have to provide information on better regulation, including their compliance with the RIA process and their use of RIAs, as part of their annual reporting requirements,
	The National Audit Office (NAO) has undertaken an ongoing role to evaluate the quality and thoroughness of a sample of RIAs each year. The recently published NAO Compendium Report on the Evaluation of RIAs for 200304 noted that the CORIU has achieved significant progress in increasing the quality of RIAs.

Telephones

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the annual telephone costs of (a) his Department, (b) their agencies and (c) the Government Information and Communication Service in (i) 199697 and (ii) the latest period for which figures are available.

Douglas Alexander: Annual telephone costs for the year ended 31 March 2003 for the Cabinet Office were 3,881,192.
	Government Information and Communication Service costs were 19,168 for 200203.
	Government Car and Despatch Agency costs were 76,100 for 200203.
	Information for 199697 is not readily available andcould only be obtained at disproportionate costs.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when the hon. Member for West Worcestershire will receive a response to his letter of 4 February to the Minister of State.

Phil Hope: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 9 March 2004.

Departmental Staff

Gwyn Prosser: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many sick days were taken on average in 2003 by staff in (a) his Department's headquarters and (b) each agency for which his Department is responsible.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was established following the machinery of Government changes in May 2002.
	The most recent Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service was published by the Cabinet Office on 1 December 2003. This covered the calendar year 2002 for the Cabinet Office, the predecessor Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions and its executive agencies.
	Figures for 2003 will be announced in due course.

Housing

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on how the change in the level of council funding for housing has affected the residents of Crosby since 1997.

Keith Hill: Since 1997 allocations of capital funding to local authorities for housing purposes have risen consistently by about 15 per cent. per annum on average. This includes the Major Repairs Allowance the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister introduced in 200102 specifically for the improvement of local authority stock alongside the Decent Homes standard which sets out minimum standards to be met by 2010. Sefton's allocations in the period 1997 to 200304 have risen by over 200 per cent.. In addition to this welcome increase there is support through the Community Housing Task Force and Government Office for the North West to help the Local Authority and its tenants to choose the best strategy for long term improvement.

Housing

John Bercow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on how the (a) Starter Homes Initiative and (b) Abandoned Homes Initiative have affected the residents of Buckingham.

Keith Hill: Since September 2001, the Starter Home Initiative has been helping key workers into home ownership in areas where the high cost of housing is undermining the recruitment and retention of skilled staff in our key public services. By the end of February 2004, 86 key workers employed in the Aylesbury Vale District Council area, in which Buckingham is located, had bought homes under the Starter Home Initiative.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is not aware of an Abandoned Homes Initiative. The Market Renewal Pathfinders programme tackles low demand and abandonment in a number of areas where this is a significant problem. This programme is not providing funding in Buckingham.

Housing

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assistance his Department provides for people wishing to get onto the property ladder in Chorley.

Keith Hill: The Housing Corporation's Approved Development Programme provides funding for schemes, such as shared ownership (part buy/part rent), to assist people into home ownership in line with regional strategies and investment priorities.
	In the current financial year (200304) 0.9 million of Housing Corporation funding has been allocated to provide 30 shared ownership dwellings in Chorley, and to date 107 social housing tenants in Chorley have purchased their rented home under the Right to Buy scheme.

Local Authorities (Members' Allowances)

Hugo Swire: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what correspondence he has received concerning the definition of a member in the Local Authorities (Members' Allowances) (England) Regulations 2003; and what steps he is taking to amend the definition.

Nick Raynsford: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has received a number of letters from Parish Councils in recent weeks, many sent via their local Member of Parliament, in respect of the definition of a member in the Local Authorities (Members' Allowances) (England) Regulations.
	This definition excludes un-elected parish councillors who are not therefore entitled to receive allowances for travel and subsistence. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will be amending the regulations governing councillors' allowances shortly so that all parish councillors are eligible to receive such allowances.

Local Authority Housing

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received from (a) local authorities and (b) others in support of the fourth option of keeping council housing stock in the hands of local government.

Keith Hill: In the last twelve months, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has received eleven representations regarding support or suggestions for a fourth option. Two of these are from a local authority, while a further two were received from a tenant protest group expressing their wish for councils to keep control of their housing stock. The remainder were from concerned tenants and their representatives, including four MPs.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has also received six parliamentary questions, including this one, on whether a fourth option would be developed and funded by the Government.

Local Government Finance

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the level of council tax receipts in England collected in each year since 1997 was; and what the forecast figures are for the coming year.

Nick Raynsford: The amounts of council tax collected by English local authorities during each financial year since 199697, irrespective of the year to which they related, are tabled as follows. They exclude amounts paid for through council tax benefit.
	
		Amounts of council tax collected, England
		
			   million 
		
		
			 199697 8,799 
			 199798 9,570 
			 199899 10,579 
			 19992000 11,457 
			 200001 12,242 
			 200102 13,208 
			 200203 14,510 
		
	
	Figures for the amounts of council tax collected are not requested from local authorities until after the end of the relevant financial year. The amounts received during 200304 and 200405 will depend upon the council tax levels set for each year, changes in the tax base, the collection rates achieved, amounts of council tax benefit expenditure incurred, and amounts collected in respect of earlier years.

Local Government Finance

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the revenue expenditure of each local authority in England has been since 199394.

Nick Raynsford: A table with the relevant information has been made available in the Library of the House.

Project Funding

Tony Colman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many (a) solely state-financed and (b) public-private partnership and private finance initiative projects for which his Department is responsible have been launched in each region in each of the last 10 years.

Nick Raynsford: Since the creation of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in May 2002 there has been no new Public Private Partnerships (PPP) projects signed. However, seven Private Finance Initiative (PFI) projects have been signed and these are broken down as follows:
	In the North West region, two projects were launched in 2002 and one in 2003;
	In the North East region, one project was launched in 2003;
	In London and the South East region, one project was launched in 2002 and two in 2003.
	The information on solely state-financed projects is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Project Funding

Tony Colman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much was spent by (a) the Government on solely state-financed projects and (b) the (i) Government and (ii) private sector on public-private and private finance initiative projects for which his Department is responsible, in each of the last 10 years, broken down by region.

Nick Raynsford: Since the establishment of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in May 2002 a total of seven Private Finance Initiative projects have been signed with a total capital value of 233.18 million, the capital value of these projects, which the Government are supporting is as follows:
	In the North West region, the capital value of two projects signed in 2002 is 16.56 million and the one signed in 2003 is 61.55 million;
	In the North East region, the capital value of one project signed in 2003 is 29.77 million;
	In London and the South East region, the capital value of one project signed in 2002 is 9.3 million and two projects signed in 2003 is 116 million.
	The information on solely state-financed projects is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Regional Assemblies

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with the Electoral Commission concerning the method of voting to be used in the referendums for elected regional assemblies; and what advice he has received from the Commission on this issue.

Nick Raynsford: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister published consultation papers and draft Orders on 18 December 2003 on the detailed procedures by which the all-postal referendums would be governed. The Electoral Commission has published its response to that consultation, which is available from www. electoralcommission.org.uk.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is in the process of consulting the Electoral Commission, as required by the Regional Assemblies (Preparations) Act 2003, before the Orders governing the referendums are laid in Parliament.

Regional Government

Keith Bradley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what areas of policy will be (a) devolved from central Government to regional government and (b) transferred from local authorities to regional government;
	(2)  when he will publish the details of the policy areas that will be transferred to regional government.

Nick Raynsford: The vast majority of elected regional assembly powers will be devolved from central Government. These were set out in the Regional Governance White Paper, Your Region, Your Choice Revitalising the English Regions. Assemblies will take over responsibility for areas of economic development, housing, planning, transport, culture, the environment, public health and sustainable development.
	As my hon. Friend the Member for Corby (Phil Hope) has made clear previously, responsibility for fire will pass to elected assemblies as announced in the Fire White Paper, Our Fire and Rescue Service.

Regional Housing Boards

Mike Hancock: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidance he has issued to ensure that Regional Housing Boards and supporting people teams work in partnership.

Yvette Cooper: To date the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has not issued any guidance in respect of Supporting People to the Regional Housing Boards and will be considering the role of Regional Bodies in Supporting People as part of the work following on from the Independent Review.

Supporting People Initiative

David Kidney: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what contingency funding he has retained centrally for Supporting People in 200405; and what criteria he will apply in deciding how to allocate such funding.

Yvette Cooper: One of the main objectives of the Supporting People programme has been to devolve the responsibility for commissioning support services to local Supporting People teams. All Supporting People programme grant is allocated to the 149 administering authorities.

Supporting People Initiative

Mike Hancock: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to increase the funding to those Supporting People teams where the late announcement of pipeline funding has led to a delay in the utilisation of properties purchased through the Housing Corporation.

Yvette Cooper: The Government commissioned the Independent Review of Supporting People after the resources required by local authorities increased substantially during the course of last year. Resources for 200405 were not allocated until the Independent Review was complete. The Independent Review found that 1.8 billion is too much to pay for legacy provision.
	Local authorities have seen a substantial increase in their resources for services covered by Supporting People in the last few years. It is a matter for Supporting People teams to manage their budgets and improve value for money.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will not be increasing the grant awards to authorities affected by pipeline funding in 200405. Equally where there has been the inevitable slippage in pipeline schemes the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will not be reducing grants to reflect this change in circumstance.

Supporting People Initiative

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the implications for the Supporting People programme in Gloucestershire of a stand-still budget.

Yvette Cooper: The recent Independent Review which was carried out on the Supporting People Programme concluded that 1.8 billion was too much to pay for legacy provision. Work is being undertaken, following the recommendations of the Review, to inform the Spending Review 2004 funding decisions.
	Future years funding for the programme will be announced once the outcome of the Spending Review 2004 is known.
	Administering authorities have been asked to look closely at their costs and services to ensure that better value for money is achieved.

Supporting People Initiative

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the current budget for Supporting People in Gloucestershire is; and what the projected budget is for each of the next three years.

Yvette Cooper: The Supporting People budget for Gloucestershire in 200304 is 28.1 million and in 200405 will be 27.8 million. Future years' funding for the programme will be decided in the Spending Review 2004.

EDUCATION

Free School Meals

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make families whose income is below the 13,230 threshold and who receive working tax credit eligible for free school meals for their children.

Stephen Twigg: The Department for Education and Skills has no plans to extend the eligibility criteria for free school meals.

Alcohol Education

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure that children are given information in school on the risks of alcohol.

Stephen Twigg: There is a statutory requirement for drug education, including alcohol education in the National Curriculum Science Order. This represents the statutory minimum. In addition, schools are expected to use the non-statutory frameworks for Personal Social Health Education (PSHE) and Citizenship at key stages 1 and 2, PSHE at key stages 3 and 4 and the Citizenship programme of study at key stages 3 and 4 as the context for developing drug and alcohol education. We believe drug education in schools has an essential role to play in enabling pupils to develop their knowledge, skills, attitudes and understanding about drugs.
	Since 1997, we have made over 70 million available to local education authorities to support drug alcohol and tobacco education and prevention in schools. For the last three years, we have supported the development of training packages to support professionals deliver effective drug and alcohol education. From April, we will be supporting up to 3,000 teachers in the PSHE certificate which sets standards in the teaching of drug and alcohol education.
	Together with the Home Office and Department of Health, we are supporting a national five-year research programme called Blueprint to test the effectiveness of drug education initiatives in schools. It will make a significant contribution to developing a UK evidence base for drug, alcohol and tobacco education.

Alcohol Education

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been spent on programmes explaining the dangers of alcohol misuse in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in each year since 1997.

Stephen Twigg: The funding that the Department has allocated to local education authorities to support drug education and prevention in all schools in England since 1997 is provided in the following table. This would include education about the effects of alcohol; a statutory requirement at key stages 14. We have not directed the proportion of this funding that should be spent on alcohol education or on schools in different sectors.
	
		
			   million 
		
		
			 199798 5.8 
			 199899 6.9 
			 19992000 7.4 
			 200001 (5)7.4 
			 200102 13.1 
			 200203 15.2 
			 200304 14.3 
			 Total 70.1 
		
	
	(5) Allocated as part of Social Inclusion Grant.

Capital Modernisation Fund

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much money was allocated to Buckingham from the Capital Modernisation Fund.

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much money was allocated to Crosby from the Capital Modernisation Fund.

David Miliband: The Department for Education and Skills does not hold this information centrally. Capital Modernisation Fund is allocated by projects and not by area.

Class Sizes

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average class size in (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools was in each year since 1997.

Stephen Twigg: The data requested are shown in the table.
	
		Maintained primary and secondary schools: average class size(6)England -- Position in January each year
		
			  Primary Secondary 
		
		
			 1997 27.5 21.7 
			 1998 27.7 21.7 
			 1999 27.5 21.9 
			 2000 27.1 22.0 
			 2001 26.7 22.0 
			 2002 26.3 21.9 
			 2003 26.3 21.9 
		
	
	(6) Classes taught by one teacher
	Source:
	Annual Schools' Census

Class Sizes

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children in Crosby were taught in classes of more than 30 on the latest date for which figures are available.

Stephen Twigg: The data requested are shown in the table.
	
		Maintained primary and secondary schools: Classes ofmore than 30(7)Crosby parliamentary constituency January 2003
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Primary schools  
			 Key Stage 1  
			 Total number of classes 86 
			 Total number of pupils 2,113 
			 Number of classes with more than 30 pupils 0 
			 Number of pupils in classes of more than 30 0 
			 Key Stage 2  
			 Total number of classes 109 
			 Total number of pupils 3,032 
			 Number of classes with more than 30 pupils 42 
			 Number of pupils in classes of more than 30 1,371 
			 Secondary schools  
			 All secondary classes  
			 Total number of classes 264 
			 Total number of pupils 5,356 
			 Number of classes with more than 30 pupils 22 
			 Number of pupils in classes of more than 30 699 
		
	
	(7) One teacher classes.
	Source:
	Annual Schools' Census.

Computers

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much public funding has been spent on computers for schools in Chorley in each of the past seven years.

Charles Clarke: My Department does not collect information on school spend on computers. However funding for information and communications technologies (ICT) in schools is allocated to local education authorities through the Standards Fund and began in 199899.
	Since 199899 schools in Lancashire have benefited from the following funding through the Standards Fund grant for ICT (including match funding from the LEA):
	
		
		
			  Allocation to Lancashire LEA 
		
		
			 199899 2,500,000 
			 19992000 1,627,867 
			 200001 5,576,036 
			 200102 6,483,142 
			 200203 8,983,493 
			 200304 9,169,124

Computers

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils per computer there are in schools in Chorley.

Charles Clarke: The information requested is not available centrally.
	Figures for England, which were derived from a sample of schools, are shown in the table.
	
		Average number of pupils(8) per computer (used solely or mainly for teaching and learning purposes) by type of schoolEngland year end March 2003
		
			  Number of pupils 
		
		
			 Maintained primary schools 7.9 
			 Maintained secondary schools 5.4 
			 Maintained special schools 3.0 
		
	
	(8) Full-time equivalent numbers of pupils.
	The latest information on ICT in schools was published in Statistical Bulletin Survey of Information and Communications Technology in Schools 2003, which is available on the Department's website www. dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/.

Computers

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) teachers and (b) families in Buckingham have benefited from the Computers Within Reach programme.

Charles Clarke: The Computers within Reach (CWR) scheme closed on 31 October 2001 having delivered over 24,000 recycled computers to people in 22 pilot areas, at a cost of 7.1 million over two years. Those eligible were in receipt of certain working age benefits or a state pension with minimum income guarantee.
	At the same time as funding was made available for the Computers within Reach scheme, funding was also provided for the Computers for Teachers programme. For teachers who met certain criteria, this programme subsidised the cost of a computer. It was subsequently replaced by the current Laptops for Teachers scheme which dispensed with subsidies, and through which sufficient funding will be provided to enable two thirds of teachers to receive a laptop by March 2006.
	Buckingham was not one of the pilot areas for the CWR scheme.

Computers

Janet Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much public funding has been spent on computers for schools in the Burton constituency for each of the last seven years.

Charles Clarke: My Department does not collect information on school spend on computers at constituency level. However Burton is in Staffordshire LEA and since 199899 schools in Staffordshire have benefited from the following funding through the Standards Fund grant for ICT (including match funding from the LEA):
	
		Allocation to Staffordshire LEA
		
			   
		
		
			 199899 2,500,000 
			 19992000 3,000,000 
			 200001 3,000,000 
			 200102 4,383,181 
			 200203 6,303,997 
			 200304 6,257,291

School Building (Sports)

Doug Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance Partnership for Schools has been given on delivering sports and physical activity resources as part of the Building Schools for the Future programme.

David Miliband: The Department is currently developing material to assist with the development of the local vision, including how best to deliver sports and physical activity resources, for first wave projects under the Building Schools for the Future programme, which will be shared with Partnership for Schools.

Drinking Water (Schools)

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions he has had with the building contractors for the Building Schools for the Future programme on the provision of drinking water in schools; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: No contractors have yet been appointed for the Building Schools for the Future programme but the provision of drinking water will be the subject of design advice to the local contractors.

Drinking Water (Schools)

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the (a) behaviour, (b) achievement and (c) health of pupils in schools with all-day access to drinking water; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of the uptake of free drinking water in schools when water fountains are placed in (a) toilets, (b) dining rooms, (c) classrooms and (d) school corridors; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Twigg: The Department for Education and Skills has made no assessments concerning drinking water.

Education Funding (Crosby)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much public money has been spent on repairing schools in Crosby in each year since 1997.

David Miliband: We do not hold information in the form requested. Capital allocations are now largely made by formulae to local authorities and schools, linked to Asset Management Plans. In addition, all schools have, since 200001, received Devolved Formula capital to use on their most urgent capital needs. The following table shows capital funding allocated to Sefton local education authority and its schools since 199798.
	
		Capital allocations to Sefton LEA
		
			  Allocation (000) 
		
		
			 199798 1,630 
			 199899 1,802 
			 19992000 4,562 
			 200001 9,388 
			 200102 11,146 
			 200203 15,980 
			 200304 16,930

Education Funding (Crosby)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding each school in Crosby has received from the New Deal for Schools.

David Miliband: The following table shows the schools in the Crosby constituency that benefited from investment through the New Deal for Schools programme, which commenced in 199798. From 200001, capital allocations have largely been made by formulae linked to Asset Management Plans. In addition, all schools have, since 200001, received Devolved Formula capital to use on their most urgent capital needs.
	
		New Deal for schoolsAllocations to schools in the Crosby constituency
		
			  School Project details Grant awarded () 
		
		
			  Included in LEA wide package:   
			 1997/98 Sacred Heart Catholic High School Refit of three science laboratories (9)836,000 
			  Range High School Refit of three science laboratories  
			 1998/99 Holy Trinity Primary School Rewiring 55,850 
			  Holy Trinity Primary School Heating repairs 44,680 
			 2000/01 Forefield Infant School Replace temporary classrooms 513,231 
			  Waterloo Primary School Replacement of dining room 398,079 
			  St. Luke's Church of England Primary School Replace temporary classrooms 605,594 
			  Forefield Junior School Replacement of temporary accommodation 393,539 
		
	
	(9) For NDS 1 the 836,000 grant allocated was for Sefton LEA wide projects, part of which was used to refit three science laboratories at each of two schools. The LEA will be able to say how much was allocated to each school.

Education Funding (Crosby)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the percentage change in the science budget in schools has been in Crosby since 2000.

David Miliband: My Department does not collect this information.

Excellence in Cities Programme

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children in Buckingham have benefited from the Excellence in Cities Programme; and what the per pupil spending was in each year since the programme's inception.

David Miliband: No schools in Buckingham itself are in the Excellence in Cities programme as the authority does not meet the inclusion criteria. However, there is an Excellence Cluster in High Wycombe which serves a small pocket of deprivation within the authority. This has been in operation since September 2002.
	The average spend per pupil in the High Wycombe cluster was 62.50 in 200203 and 106 in 200304.

Extended Schools

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make it his policy to enable local education authorities which are experiencing falling school rolls to use surplus capacity to develop (a) extended schools under the Government's extended schools programme and (b) the co-location of health, social services and parenting support provided by local agencies.

Stephen Twigg: holding answer 15 March 2004
	Yes, schools can use surplus school places to provide capacity for extended services which can include the co-location of services provided by other agencies such as health, social services and parenting support. Schools are being encouraged to do this.

Extended Schools

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress has been made on the implementation of the extended schools programme; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Twigg: holding answer 15 March 204
	The Department for Education and Skills has made considerable progress on the implementation of the extended schools programme. The Education Act 2002 includes a new power for school governors to provide family and community services. In October 2002 we issued guidance on setting up extended services along with related guidance on developing child care facilities. 25 LEAs were funded in 200203 as pathfinders. The aim of the pathfinders was to test out a variety of approaches used by schools and authorities in the development of family and community facilities and services on school premises. Evaluation findings will be made available shortly.
	Over the period 200306, the Department for Education and Skills is making funding available to create up to 240 full service extended schools, with at least one in each LEA area. 60 full service extended schools are being created this year. We are also making funding available over the same period for the planning, development and management of extended services in other schools. By 2006 this funding will cover all LEAs.

Extended Schools

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what funds he has made available to develop extended schools in Southampton;
	(2)  what opportunities there are for Southampton local education authority to bid for funds for extended schools.

Stephen Twigg: holding answer 15 March 2004
	Southampton LEA will receive 168,480 through the Standards Fund in 200405 to develop one full service extended school, providing a prescribed core set of services, with further funding available in 200506. In addition, 26,000 in 200405 and 26,500 in 200506 has been allocated to Southampton local authority as part of its general Sure Start Grant for the development of child care services in the full service extended school. The LEA will also receive funding in 200506 for the co-ordination and management of extended services in other schools, with additional funding allocated to the authority at the same time to develop child care services in extended schools. There is no bidding process involved in the allocation of extended schools funding.

Failing Schools (Buckinghamshire)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools in Buckinghamshire deemed to be failing since 1997 have since reached satisfactory standards.

David Miliband: Since January 1997, 11 schools (six primary, four secondary, one special) in Buckinghamshire have been deemed to be failing. Of those, seven recovered sufficiently to have the special measures designation removed, one had a successful Fresh Start, and three closed altogether.

Information and Communications Technology

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been allocated to schools in Buckingham for information and communications technologies in each of the past seven years.

Charles Clarke: Funding for information and communications technologies (ICT) in schools is allocated to local education authorities through the Standards Fund and began in 199899. Since 199899 schools in Buckinghamshire have benefited from the following funding through the Standards Fund grant for ICT (including match funding from the LEA):
	
		
		
			  Allocation to Buckinghamshire LEA 
		
		
			 199899 1,250,000 
			 19992000 1,125,000 
			 200001 1,755,443 
			 200102 2,568,797 
			 200203 3,646,484 
			 200304 3,728,097

Information and Communications Technology

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of teachers in Buckingham have received computer training.

Charles Clarke: Statistics on teacher training in ICT are not compiled on a constituency basis, but all teachers are expected to be able to use ICT effectively in the classroom. In-service training was largely addressed by the UK-wide National Lottery-funded New Opportunities Fund (NOF) ICT training, which ran between 1999 and 2003, and to which some 96 per cent. of teachers in England signed up.
	Training in the effective use of ICT in teaching is also a mandatory part of Teacher Training Institute courses.
	Further training opportunities to address teachers' continuing professional development needs (CPD) in embedding ICT in classroom teaching are now being developed across a range of subjects, and teachers are able to buy into this training using Standards Fund monies.

Mathematics/English

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of 11-year-old pupils in Buckingham reached level four in (a) mathematics and (b) English in each of the past seven years.

David Miliband: The information requested is as follows:
	
		Number and percentage of pupils achieving Level 4+
		
			  Mathematics English 
			  Buckingham England Buckingham England 
			  Number Percentage Percentage Number Percentage Percentage 
		
		
			 2003(10) 883 81 73 839 82 75 
			 2002 824 80 73 849 83 75 
			 2001 886 79 71 942 84 75 
			 2000 832 80 72 866 83 75 
			 1999 749 76 69 777 79 71 
			 1998 663 68 59 748 77 65 
			 1997 686 70 62 731 74 63 
		
	
	(10) Provisional.

Mathematics/English

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of pupils in Buckingham reached the (a) mathematics and (b) English standard in each of the last seven years.

David Miliband: The results from the 2003 National Curriculum tests showed that 75 per cent. of 11-year-olds in England reached Level 4 in English and 73 per cent. in mathematics. These results represent a significant improvement in standardsof 12 percentage points in English and 11 percentage points in mathematicssince 1997, reflecting the impact of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies on primary schools. We remain absolutely committed, through our new Primary Strategy, to supporting schools to achieve the ambitious targets we have set for standards of literacy and numeracy.
	The following table shows the number and percentage of pupils in Buckingham who have achieved level 4 or above in the Key Stage 2 English and mathematics tests since 1997. The results for Buckingham are above the national average, with improvements that have been broadly maintained since 2000:
	
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Number of pupils 
			 English(11) 731 748 777 866 942 849 893 
			 Mathematics(11) 686 663 749 832 886 824 883 
			 Percentage of pupils 
			 English 74 77 79 83 84 83 82 
			 Mathematics 70 68 76 80 79 80 81 
		
	
	(11) The number of eligible pupils for the Key Stage 2 tests varies slightly from year-to-year.

Mathematics/English

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of pupils in Chorley reached the (a) mathematics and (b) English standard in each of the last seven years.

David Miliband: The results from the 2003 National Curriculum tests showed that 75 per cent. of 11-year-olds in England reached Level 4 in English and 73 per cent. in mathematics. These results represent a significant improvement in standardsof 12 percentage points in English and 11 percentage points in mathematicssince 1997, reflecting the impact of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies on primary schools. We remain absolutely committed, through our new Primary Strategy, to supporting schools to achieve the ambitious targets we have set for standards of literacy and numeracy.
	The following table shows the number and percentage of pupils in Chorley who have achieved level 4 or above in the Key Stage 2 English and mathematics tests since 1997. The results for Chorley are above the national average, and show a considerable improvement since 1997:
	
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Number of pupils 
			 English 920 953 1,024 1,017 1,106 1,086 1,098 
			 Mathematics 951 882 1,048 1,021 1,059 1,077 1,049 
			 Percentage of pupils 
			 English 71 74 78 78 77 81 80 
			 Mathematics 73 68 80 78 74 80 77 
		
	
	Note:
	The number of eligible pupils for the Key Stage 2 tests varies slightly from year-to-year.

Mathematics/English

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of 11-year-old pupils in Chorley reached level 4 in (a) mathematics and (b) English in each of the past seven years.

David Miliband: The information requested is as follows:
	
		Percentage of pupils achieving Level 4+
		
			  Mathematics English 
			  Chorley England Chorley England 
		
		
			 2003(12) 77 73 80 75 
			 2002 80 73 81 75 
			 2001 74 71 77 75 
			 2000 78 72 78 75 
			 1999 80 69 78 71 
			 1998 68 59 74 65 
			 1997 73 62 71 63 
		
	
	(12) Provisional.

Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy

David Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children have been removed from parents on the basis of a diagnosis of myalgic encephalomyelitis in children for which parents have been classed as having Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 15 March 2004
	The information requested is not held centrally.

National Childcare Strategy

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many children in Buckingham have gained from the National Childcare Strategy; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many child care places have been created in Buckingham since 1997.

Margaret Hodge: Information on the number of new child care places created in an individual constituency is available only from 1999. Buckinghamshire local authority reported that between April 1999 and December 2003, 1,166 new child care places opened in Buckingham constituency. A place typically helps more than one child, as not all children take up places full-time, and we estimate these places will help some 2,200 children. During the same period, Buckinghamshire reported that 100 child care places closed in Buckingham, so that the stock of child care places rose by 1,066.

New Deal for Schools

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding each school in Buckingham has received from the New Deal for Schools.

David Miliband: The table shows the schools in the Buckingham constituency that benefited from investment through the New Deal for Schools (NDS) programme, which commenced in 199798. From 200001, capital allocations to local authorities and schools have largely been made by formulae linked to Asset Management Plans. In addition, all schools have, since 200001, received Devolved Formula capital to use on their most urgent capital needs.
	
		NDS allocations to schools in the Buckingham constituency
		
			  School Project details Grant awarded () 
		
		
			 1997/98 East Claydon School Building repairs (13)564,000 
			  Grendon Underwood Combined School Building repairs (13)564,000 
			 1998/99 Akeley C of E infant School Replacement of 20-year-old boiler plant 23,000 
			 2000/01 Haddenham Community Junior School Re-roofing 138,000 
			  Long Crendon School Replacement curtain walling to link block 92,000 
		
	
	(13) For NDS 1 the 564,000 grant allocated was for Buckinghamshire local education authority (LEA) wide projects, part of which was used for building repairs at each of two schools in the Buckingham constituency. The LEA will be able to say how much was allocated to each school.

Qualified Teacher Status

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the availability of qualified teacher status training for Welsh residents in English teacher training colleges located close to the Welsh border.

David Miliband: In 2004/05, 35,800 places on courses of initial teacher training will be available at institutions located in England, more than at any time since the 1980s. This has allowed the number of places allocated to providers in the three Government Office Regions which border Wales to grow from 12,700 in the current year to 13,337 in 2004/05. Students from Wales who take up places on a Postgraduate Certificate in Education course in England are eligible to receive a 6,000 training bursary from the Government on the same basis as those who are normally resident in England.

Random Drug Testing

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  whether all schools are subject to random drug testing;
	(2)  whether parental permission for random drug testing will be a requirement before a child can obtain a place in a (a) junior and (b) secondary school;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the costs incurred by schools in obtaining parental permission for random drug testing;
	(4)  whether random drug testing in schools includes (a) pupils, (b) teachers, (c) classroom assistants, (d) supply teachers, (e) school grounds staff, (f) maintenance staff and (g) kitchen staff;
	(5)  whether a child can be expelled if parental permission for random drug testing is not granted;
	(6)  whether random drug testing will take place in (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools, (c) breakfast school clubs and (d) after-school clubs;
	(7)  who will carry out the random drug tests in schools.

Stephen Twigg: Drugs: Guidance to Schools will be sent to all schools this month. The guidance highlights the option for schools to employ drug testing. The guidance applies to all maintained schools and pupil referral units in England. It is for headteachers to decide whether to employ drug testingrandom or not.
	A school's governing body decides on its behaviour policy. The head teacher has discretion to exclude pupils in response to serious breaches of this policy, taking individual circumstances into account.
	Local education authorities and school governing bodies are responsible for deciding local school admission arrangements, but cannot make admission dependent on parents signing any form of parental declaration, which would include parental permission for random drug testing. Parental permission could form part of a home- school agreement between parents and schools. Home-school agreements cannot be made a condition of entry to any maintained school. Procedures on testing and sanctions should be contained in the school's drug policy and be developed through wide consultation with members of the school community.
	Any costs of obtaining parental permission will of course depend on the decisions of individual heads as to how often, how and when to seek such permissions. For example if done through an existing system such as existing home-school contracts the costs will be close to zero. If a separate exercise were undertaken the costs would be likely to be higher. These will be matters for heads to consider in the light of their local circumstances.
	It will be for schools to decide on the scope of drug testing taking into account the school's drug policy and the employment contracts of those working in the school. A school's drug policy should make clear to which activities the policy applies, including after school and out of school activities, and the scope of any drug testing strategy contained in the policy.
	In cases where the carrying out of drug testing is considered appropriate, it will be for schools to decide how and by whom this should be done.

School Repairs

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much public funding has been spent on repairing schools in Buckingham in each year since 1997.

David Miliband: The following table shows capital funding allocated to Buckinghamshire local education authority (LEA) and its schools since 199798. The majority of capital funding is now allocated by formulae, linked to Asset Management Plans. In addition, all schools have, since 200001, received Devolved Formula capital to use on their most urgent capital needs.
	
		Capital allocations to Buckinghamshire LEA
		
			  Allocation (000) 
		
		
			 199798 5,493 
			 199899 8,068 
			 19992000 11,947 
			 200001 19,422 
			 200102 11,510 
			 200203 16,981 
			 200304 27,460 
		
	
	Note:
	The above allocations include the Voluntary Aided sector.

School Sports Facilities

Jim Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his Department is doing to ensure that the timescales for Private Finance Initiative school developments allow time for consideration of community use of sports facilities.

David Miliband: PFI contracts are usually between the local authority and a private contractor. It is therefore for the authority to ensure that negotiations include the use of sports facilities by community groups. My Department does not have a direct role in the negotiations themselves. The authority's Outline Business Case, which requires approval by the Treasury-chaired Project Review Group, must include a timetable which allows sufficient time for the consideration of key issues such as the community use of facilities. Projects which involve community use are encouraged; not only does the community benefit, but the annual fee payable by the local authority may be reduced, in recognition of the revenue that is generated by the facilities.
	PFI projects provide high quality teaching accommodation along with excellent sports facilities which are a significant asset to the local community.

School Sports Facilities

Jim Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the success of extended schools in opening up schools sports facilities for use by the general public; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Twigg: The roll out of extended schools across the country began in 2003, so no specific assessment has yet been made. We are, however, funding the development of full service extended schools, which will offer a prescribed core set of services for pupils, families and the wider community, including sports and arts facilities. By 2006 every LEA in England will be given funding to create at least one school. The development of these schools will be evaluated, and among the main aims of the study will be to assess the impact on indicators such as sport, health and youth crime.

School Sports Facilities

Jim Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will take steps to ensure that, in pricing access to educational establishments' sports and leisure facilities, local education authorities budget for long-term costs, including replacement costs.

David Miliband: The pricing of access to sports facilities at educational establishments is a matter for local decision.

School Sports Facilities

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much money has been invested in sports halls in schools in Chorley in each year since 1996, broken down by school.

David Miliband: The Department does not hold information on how much has been spent on sports halls. Schools premises investment decisions are based on local education authority asset management planning processes and this information should therefore be available locally.

School Sports Facilities

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the effects on schools of changes in the level of investment in school sports in Buckingham since 1997.

Stephen Twigg: The Government are investing more than 1 billion in England to transform physical education (PE), school sport and club links. The funding will help deliver an ambitious Public Service Agreement target, shared with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, to increase the percentage of 516 year olds who spend a minimum of two hours each week on high quality PE and school sport within and beyond the curriculum to 75 per cent. by 2006.
	Spearheading delivery are School Sport Partnerships, which provide for groups of schools to work together to increase sports opportunities for all young people. Latest research, published by the Departments on 4 March shows that 68 per cent. of pupils in schools that have been in a Partnership for three years, are taking up the two hour entitlement, rising to 90 per cent. at Key Stage 3. Data are currently being collected from remaining Partnerships and will be published in April. Disaggregated results will be available at that time.
	Significant funding is also being provided to specifically enhance PE and school sport facilities, with 2,599,000 being allocated from the New Opportunities Fund to schools in the Buckinghamshire LEA area.

School Year (Tourism)

Jim Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if his Department will issue guidance to local education authorities on the economic impact on tourism of adopting a six-term school year.

David Miliband: Proposals for a standard six-term school year have been developed by an Independent Commission on the School Year which was established by the Local Government Association. The commission included representation from the tourism industry. My right hon. Friend sees merit in the argument for standardising the length of school terms. Decisions on school term dates and holidays however continue to be the responsibility of individual local education authorities or school governing bodies, depending on the category of school.

Schools (Lockers)

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of schools in England provide full locker facilities for all pupils attending school.

David Miliband: The Department does not have these figures, nor figures for other types of personal storage in schools. However, the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999 require that the buildings provided for a school shall be adequate to allow for the storing and drying of pupils' outdoor clothing, and for the storing of their other belongings. Local education authorities are responsible for ensuring that the premises of maintained schools conform to these regulations.

Schools Science Budgets

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the percentage change in the science budget in schools has been in Buckingham in each year since 1997.

David Miliband: My Department does not collect this information.

Sixth Forms

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the procedure for closing a school sixth form; whether such a decision is accountable to the whole local education authority; and whether there is a statutory appeal process.

David Miliband: Proposals to close a school sixth form may be published by the LEA or Governing Body depending on the category of school. Proposals to close a school sixth form after two poor Ofsted reports may also be published by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). For both types of proposals the five stages in the process are consultation; publication; a six week representation period (one month in the case of LSC proposals); decision and implementation. LEAs may determine their own proposals to close schools sixth forms provided there are no objections to the proposals. Where there are objectionsincluding from the school concernedproposals fall to be considered by the School Organisation Committee (SOC) or schools adjudicator if the SOC cannot reach a unanimous decision. LEAs and LSCs are represented on SOCs along with other key groups.
	As part of a reorganisation of 1619 provision, the LSC can also publish a proposal to close a school sixth form following recommendations in an Ofsted Area Inspection report, or where they can demonstrate that the proposals will improve participation, raise standards or broaden the range of provision. The steps in this process are to publish a preliminary notice and consult for at least two months; publish formal proposals with a further two-month objections period; and submit the proposals to the Secretary of State one month later for a decision.
	Neither the SOC nor the school adjudicator is accountable to the LEA. Apart from judicial review, there is no statutory appeals process following decisions by the SOC, the adjudicator or Secretary of State.

Sixth Forms

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the procedure for opening a new school sixth form; and whether such a decision is made by the local education authority.

Charles Clarke: Proposals to open a new school sixth form may be published by the LEA, or the Governing Body of the school. The five stages in the process are consultation; publication; a six week representation period; decision and implementation. LEAs may determine their own proposals to open school sixth forms provided there are no objections to the proposals. All other proposals are determined by the School Organisation Committee (SOC) or schools adjudicator if the SOC cannot reach a unanimous decision.
	As part of a reorganisation of 1619 provision, the LSC can also publish proposals to open a school sixth form following recommendations of an Ofsted area inspection report or where they can demonstrate that the proposals will improve participation, raise standards or broaden the range of provision. The steps in this process are to publish a preliminary notice and consult for at least two months; publish formal proposals with a further two-month objections and comments period; and submit the proposals to the Secretary of State one month later for a decision.

Teacher Numbers/Vacancies

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) primary school and (b) secondary school teachers there were per pupil of the relevant age-group in each year since 1997.

David Miliband: The data requested are shown in the table.
	
		Maintained primary and secondary schools: pupil:teacher ratiosEngland -- Position in January each year
		
			  Primary Secondary 
		
		
			 1997 23.4 16.7 
			 1998 23.7 16.9 
			 1999 23.5 17.0 
			 2000 23.3 17.2 
			 2001 22.9 17.1 
			 2002 22.5 16.9 
			 2003 22.6 17.0 
		
	
	Source:
	Annual Schools' Census.
	The underlying pupil and teacher figures were published on 25 September 2003 in the statistical volume, Statistics of Education, Schools in England 2003, a copy of which has been placed in the Library. The table is also available on the statistics section of the DfES website at: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/VOL/v000417/index.shtml

Teacher Numbers/Vacancies

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teacher vacancies there were in Chorley on the latest date for which figures are available; and what steps he is taking to reduce them.

David Miliband: The information is not available in the form requested. In January 2003, there were 40 vacancies for full-time teachers in maintained schools in the Lancashire local education authority (LEA) area, which includes Chorley.
	Like other areas, since 1997 Chorley has benefited from the initiatives that the Government have put in place to recruit and retain teachers and to increase the number of staff supporting them in schools. Since 1997, the number of full-time equivalent regular teachers in maintained schools in the former Lancashire LEA area has risen by 390, from 11,870 to 12,260 in 2003. Over the same period, the number of full-time equivalent school support staff in the area has grown by 2,870 from 3,620 to 6,490 in 2003.

Teacher Numbers/Vacancies

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many staff the Department employs on a temporary basis through employment agencies; what percentage this is of total staff employed; and how much the Department paid employment agencies to supply temporary staff in (a) 200102, (b) 200203 and (c) 200304 to the most recent date for which figures are available.

Charles Clarke: The following table gives the figures for the past three financial years since the Department for Education and Skills was established in 2001.
	The significant increase in 20022003 was largely due to the implementation of a new range of policy development in Schools Directorate and the general establishment of the new Department.
	
		
			  Number of agency staff Financial year Agency spend of the financial year () Percentage of total staffing budget 
		
		
			 2002 1,614 June 2001 to March 2002(14) 1,780,629.70 1.46 
			 2003 1,746 April 2002 to March 2003 2,688,149.33 2.12 
			 2004 117 (Jan.) April 2003 to January 2004 1,456,921.04 1.12 
		
	
	(14) DfES was created following Machinery of Government changes in June 2001.

University Bursaries

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which universities have indicated that they will commence bursary schemes from 200607 for students from families with incomes (a) between 15,970 and 22,270 and (b) between 22,270 and 33,533; and how much money is being given in each case.

Alan Johnson: I am placing today in the Library a copy of a letter from Universities UK to me, which outlines these details as currently known. Individual universities are responsible for their own bursary schemes.

Websites

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the cost in (a) financial and (b) other terms was in (i) each financial year since 1997 and (ii) 200304 until the latest date for which figures are available of (A) developing and (B) maintaining (1) his Department's website and (2) each website for which his Department is responsible; and how many (C) unique hosts and (D) hits there were in each month for each website in (iii) each financial year since 1997 and (iv) 200304 until the latest date for which numbers are available.

Charles Clarke: The information requested is as follows.
	(a) (A and B; 1 and 2) Core programme costs, for developing and maintaining the Department for Education and Skills central website www.dfes.gov.uk and the other sites it is responsible (our six customer portals and Curriculum Online (from 2003)) are as follows:
	
		
			  Central website www.dfes.gov.uk(15) Customer facing portals (six sites) Curriculum online www.curriculumonline.gov.uk 
		
		
			 199798 43,200   
			 199899 84,200   
			 19992000 140,300   
			 200001 266,600   
			 200102 654,800   
			 200203 1,747,000  2,753,875 
			 200304 1,900,000 978,000 2,394,598 
		
	
	(15) From 2002 costs include hosting for other online services provided by the Department Figures for agencies and non-departmental public bodies are not included as collection of this information represents disproportionate costs.
	(b) We have assumed that cost in 'other terms' refers to staff overheads. Collection of this information represents a disproportionate cost.
	(C) Unique hostsWe have considered this to mean the number of 'hosting services' (virtual and dedicated) that we are contracted to use. We are contracted with one supplier.
	(D) (iii and iv)Our site traffic figures are collected according the standards laid down in the Office of the e-Envoy's Guidelines for UK Government Websites which recommends that web teams should give more importance to unique visitors and page impressions than to hits.
	Historical figures are only available for 2000 onwards Site traffic figures are as follows:
	
		
			  2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 DfES: www.dfes.gov.uk 
			 Visits  5,479,049 13,037,249 
			 Unique visitors 1,293,000 1,148,743 4,189,925 
			 Page impressions 43,700,000 74,491,274 160,164,079 
		
	
	
		
			  2003 
		
		
			 Customer portals  
			 Visits 4,390,139 
			 Unique visitors 1,572,963 
			 Page impressions 53,744,094 
			  Curriculum online: www.curriculumonline.gov.uk 
			 Visits 495,408 
			 Unique visitors 429,804 
			 Page impressions 4,100,100

Youth Services (Funding)

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to centralise funding for services for young people.

Margaret Hodge: The response to the Green Paper 'Every Child Matters' consultation sets out our aims for funding services for young people. We intend to rationalise funding streams and grant programmes at local level in order to avoid duplication. As Children's Trusts become operational this will involve the pooling of appropriate budgets.

HEALTH

Ashford (Middlesex) Hospital

David Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) intensive care beds, (b) high dependence beds, (c) medical beds and (d) acute surgery beds there were at Ashford (Middlesex) Hospital on 31 December of each year from 1997.

John Hutton: Information on beds is collected on a trust basis from national health service organisations. Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust (RTK) opened in April 1998.
	Information on critical care beds is collected at two census points during the year. The number of intensive care and high dependency beds on the census day for Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust is shown in table 1.
	
		Table 1: Number of critical care beds on census day, Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust
		
			 Census date Intensive care High dependency Total 
		
		
			 31 March 1999 10 0 10 
			 30 September 1999 10 0 10 
			 15 January 2000 10 0 10 
			 14 July 2000 7 3 10 
			 15 January 2001 8 9 17 
			 16 July 2001 7 9 16 
			 15 January 2002 7 9 16 
			 16 July 2002 8 9 17 
			 15 January 2003 7 9 16 
			 16 July 2003 8 9 17 
			 15 January 2004 7 9 16 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health form KH03a.
	Information on beds is collected annually. The average daily number of available beds for Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust is shown in table 2.
	
		Table 2: Average daily number of available beds, by sector, Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust, 199798 to 200203
		
			  All specialties (excluding day only) Generaland Acute Acute Geriatric Mental illness Learning disability Maternity Day only 
		
		
			  
			  
			 199798 
			 199899 612 549 549 0 0 0 63 43 
			 19992000 612 549 549 0 0 0 63 46 
			 200001 633 571 571 0 0 0 63 46 
			 200102 667 604 604 0 0 0 63 46 
			 200203 620 560 560 0 0 0 60 58 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health form KH03.

Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out the (a) statutory and (b) regulatory requirements to consult placed upon the Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection; and how the Commission will discharge its duty to consult in respect of the inclusion or exclusion of performance indicators from the star rating system.

Rosie Winterton: With respect to its annual reviews of English national health service bodies and cross-border strategic health authorities there is no statutory duty on the Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection (CHAI) to consult in relation to the criteria it devises under section 50 of the Act. However, we anticipate that CHAI will consult NHS bodies in relation to those criteria, continuing the current practice of the Commission for Health Improvement.

Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State will respond to the letter of 4 February from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire.

Stephen Ladyman: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 15 March 2004.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will reply to the letter to him from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton dated 12 February with regard to Dr. Lieberman.

John Reid: A reply was sent to my right hon. Friend on 4 March 2004.

Delayed Discharges

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients had their hospital discharge delayed while awaiting community care packages in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: Data on delayed discharges are not collected on the basis of awaiting community care services. All available information on delayed transfers of care since 1997 is available in the Library, including the latest figures for 200304, Quarter 3 (December 2003).

Dentistry

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to simplify dental fee scales.

Rosie Winterton: The Government are committed to rebuilding and restoring national health service dentistry to improve oral health. New legislation in the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003 will underpin a modernised, high-quality primary dental service, properly integrated with the rest of the NHS. The aim is to deliver better access to services, better working lives for dentists and their teams, better oral health and an improved patient experience.
	Under the proposals in the Act, primary care trusts (PCTs) will assume responsibility for providing primary care dental services. With these responsibilities will go the financial resources held centrally, which currently amount to 1.2 billion.
	As part of the new arrangements, the current remuneration system, which is based on item-of-service fees, will be abolished and replaced by a much simpler contract. Under transitional arrangements we are developing a simple but robust 'base contract' which all dentists and PCTs will be able to put in place from 2005. These transitional arrangements will provide protection of dentists gross earnings for three years to enable them to come off the treadmill of item of service fees, to see their patients at intervals appropriate to their oral health needs and to modernise and adjust their workload. These proposals are set out in Framework proposals for primary dental services in England from 2005, which was published on 24 February and on which we are currently seeking views from dental representative bodies.

Dentistry

Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action the Government is taking to increase the number of NHS dentists.

Rosie Winterton: We have undertaken a review of the dental primary care workforce in consultation with representatives of the dental professionprofessional bodies, dental academics, as well as the British Dental Association (BDA). The matters under consideration included the age structure of the dental profession, the increasing number of women dentists, our commitment to develop team-working in dentistry, and the impact of our reforms to the contractual and remuneration arrangements which are intended to make National Health Service dentistry more attractive to dental practices. We intend to publish the report shortly.
	We have also worked closely with the BDA to draw up proposals for a new contract from April 2005, which will remove the treadmill of item of service. This links with the new duties primary care trusts (PCTs) will have from April 2005 to secure the provision of primary dental care services. With these new responsibilities will go the financial resources currently held centrally, which by 200506 are expected to total nearly 1.5 billion.
	These proposals, in the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003 in relation to primary dental services, represent the most radical reform of NHS dentistry since 1948. They will give a better deal for patients, for dentists and for the NHS and should lead to an increase in the number of NHS dentists.
	In the meantime we have provided new investment totalling 90 million to NHS dentistry over the last year. This is aimed at increasing the number of NHS dentists and increasing access to NHS dentistry for patients. 59 million will support access, and strategic health authorities have been advised of their shares and are working with their PCTs to address access issues. 30 million is to support information technology and the balance of 1 million will support organisational development locally.

Dentistry

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answers of 14 January 2004, Official Report, column 800W and 28 January 2004, Official Report, column 399W, on dentists, what the reasons are for the difference in the total number of NHS dentists and the number of dentists accepting children within some strategic health authorities.

Rosie Winterton: The information on dentist numbers given in the reply of 28 January 2004, Official Report, column 399W, covered the numbers of principal and assistant dentists. These are dentists in the general dental service (GDS) at September 2003. These figures exclude groups of national health service dentists: vocational dental practitioners in the GDS; salaried dentists in the GDS, dentists in the personal dental service and dentists in the community dental service.
	The source of the information in that reply is the Dental Practice Board. Information on which dentists are taking NHS patients is held on the NHS.UK website at www.nhs.uk. The information on that website is provided by primary care trusts. The information will cover all NHS dental providers; not just principals and assistants in the GDS. The information given in the reply of 14 January 2004, Official Report, column 800W, was for the situation on Thursday 4 December. The figures counted dentists in surgeries which were taking new NHS patients.

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what funding has been set aside for research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on the research into possible treatments for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Stephen Ladyman: The Genetics White Paper announced investment of up to 3 million to support gene therapy research on single gene disorders. Bids from researchers to access these funds have been received, but are treated in confidence. The specific clinical conditions to be addressed through the funding for research will depend on what bids have been submitted by the research community and how the individual bids stand up to rigorous assessment through peer review.
	The main agency through which the Government supports medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). It is a long-standing and important principle of successive Governments that they do not prescribe the detail of how individual research councils should distribute their resources between competing priorities. In 200102, the MRC spent about 2 million on research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

EU Accession States (Medical Training)

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what circumstances citizens of the 10 EU accession countries will have rights to medical treatment in (a) the UK and (b) other EU countries; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: From 1 May 2004, residents of the new accession countries will be covered by Regulations (EEC) 1408/71 and 574/72, which co-ordinate the social security and health care schemes of the member states of the European Economic Area. Like the insured populations of the existing member states, they will then be entitled to receive treatment the need for which arises during a temporary visit to any other member state, including the United Kingdom, under the E111 arrangements. They will be able to travel specifically to receive treatment in other member states of the European Economic Area for pre-existing conditions only if their home country authorises them to do so by issuing a Form E112. The home country will bear the costs of treatments provided in any other member state, including the United Kingdom, through the E111 or E112 arrangements.
	Citizens of the new member states who become ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom will be able to access NHS care on the same basis as any person currently resident in the United Kingdom. But for those who fall into the categories covered by Regulations 1408/71 and 574/72for example, certain retirement pensioners or studentsNational Health Service costs will be paid by the person's home state. Accession state citizens resident in the United Kingdom will be entitled to E111s or E112s for medical treatment while temporarily visiting other member states on the same terms as any other UK resident.

EU Accession States (Medical Training)

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when (a) citizens of EU accession states working in the UK and (b) their children will qualify to receive free of charge NHS services and facilities.

John Hutton: All persons legally working in the United Kingdom, and their family members, are entitled to immediate access to national health service services on the same terms as any person ordinarily resident in the UK. From 1 May 2004, this will apply equally to persons from the European Union accession states, who will have free access to the UK labour market subject to a registration system.

General Practitioners

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what financial help is available from the Government to assist general practitioner practices in the purchase of telephone systems;
	(2)  if he will issue guidance to general practitioner practices on the use of premium rate numbers by which patients call to obtain appointments and services;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the number of general practitioner practices within the NHS which use premium rate telephone numbers by which patients call to obtain appointments and services.

John Hutton: Discretionary funding is available from primary care trusts to enable general practitioners to update their telephone systems. Otherwise the cost of installing and running telephony are an expense which the practicelike all other businessescovers from overall practice income. The Department holds no information on the extent to which premium rate numbers are used in general practice, and has no plans to collect such data or to publish guidance.

Hospices

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will increase financial assistance from the NHS to children's hospices in England.

Melanie Johnson: Funding is available for children's hospices from national health service primary care trusts. The level of funding is a matter for local discussion. Voluntary healthcare providers, such as hospices, are viewed as important in these negotiations.

Hospital Construction (Lichfield)

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when construction will commence on the new hospital at the St. Michael's site in Lichfield; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many car parking spaces will be made available to (a) staff and (b) visitors at the St. Michael's site in Lichfield once the construction of the new hospital is completed;
	(3)  how many square metres have been set aside for future expansion of the new hospital at the St. Michael's site in Lichfield once it is completed.

Stephen Ladyman: Shropshire and Staffordshire Strategic Health Authority expects construction of the new hospital to start during the summer of this year.
	There will be a total of 217 car parking spaces. Of these, 58 will be specifically for staff and patients using mental health services. There will be an additional 117 public car parking spaces, and 42 reserved for staff.
	1,400 square metres have been identified for expansion, plus a further 65 parking spaces.

Medicines and Healthcare ProductsRegulatory Agency

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what powers the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has to obtain data from clinical trials conducted outside the United Kingdom.

Rosie Winterton: There is an obligation on companies making an application for a marketing authorisation to provide the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) with all relevant information at the time of the application; this includes data from clinical trials conducted outside the United Kingdom.
	For marketed drugs, the marketing authorisation holder's qualified person, who is responsible for their pharmacovigilance system, has an obligation to inform the MHRA of any information relevant to the evaluation of the risks and benefits of the product, including post-authorisation studies conducted outside the UK. In addition, the holder must report serious suspected adverse reactions relating to the product which occur in the UK and serious unexpected suspected adverse drug reactions which occur in a country outside the European Union, and provide periodic safety update reports to the MHRA, which should include any relevant data from clinical trials outside the UK.
	Sponsors of clinical trials conducted in the UK have an obligation to submit adverse drug reactions (ADRs) to the MHRA on an ongoing basis and to provide end of trial study results in a report. Under the Clinical Trials Directive, to be implemented in the UK as of 1 May 2004, sponsors of trials conducted in the UK will have an obligation to report serious unexpected suspected adverse drug reactions to the MHRA, even if those reactions occur at trial sites outside the UK. In addition, they will be required to provide an annual safety report, which must include all serious suspected adverse reactions occurring in the course of the trial.
	The implementation of the Clinical Trials Directive into UK legislation will provide a statutory basis for inspections of clinical trials to ensure compliance with the requirements of good clinical practice. This will also include an opportunity for inspectors to visit sites outside the EU member states where necessary. A reciprocal arrangement exists within the EU.

Mental Health

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action his Department is taking to support Mental Health Action Week.

Rosie Winterton: The Department welcomes this annual initiative which aims to raise awareness of mental health issues among the general public. The Department is continuing to work in partnership with the voluntary sector, including the Mental Health Foundation, to provide better information about mental health issues, challenge the stigma and discrimination often associated with mental ill health and build better understanding among the general public.

General Practitioners

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the National Patient Safety Agency.

John Hutton: The effectiveness of the National Patient Safety Agency is kept under regular review as part of the annual ministerial accountability review process.

General Practitioners

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of the National Patient Safety Agency was in each year for which figures are available; and how many staff it employed in each year, broken down by (a) whole-time equivalent and (b) headcount.

John Hutton: The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) was created as a special health authority in July 2001 and has published accounts for 200102 and 200203.
	The annual costs of the NPSA and number of employees are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Programme costs  million Whole time equivalent number of staff Headcount 
		
		
			 200102 1.763 5 6 
			 200203 11.666 59 60

NHS (Complaints)

Alan Hurst: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many formal complaints were made by members of the public to the national health service in each year from 1990 to 2002.

Rosie Winterton: Data prior to 199697 are available in the publication 'Handling complaints: monitoring the NHS complaints proceduresEngland', copies of which are available in the Library.
	Data on national health service complaints for years from 199697 to 200001 are available on the website: http://www.performance.doh.gov.uk/nhscomplaints/ Data for 200203 are available on the website: http://www.performance.doh.gov.uk/hospitalactivity/. As a result of structural changes in the NHS, the data for 200102 are incomplete and have not been published, although data from those organisations that submitted returns are available on request.

NHS Budgets

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the 100 million growth package referred to in his Department's press release of 4 March 2004 is being spent.

Rosie Winterton: A capital growth scheme was launched in January 2004, which gives financial rewards to trusts providing better and faster access to emergency care. Trusts that deliver real, significant and sustained improvements will be able to access extra money to help them to carry on improving their services and facilities.
	Details of the scheme are as follows:
	Acute national health service trusts can access a flat payment of up to 500,000 for faster progress to meeting the minimum operating standard of treating 98 per cent. of patients in accident and emergency departments within four hours;
	Ambulance services can access up to an average of 250,000 (payment weighted by size of trust) for responding to 75 per cent. of category A calls within eight minutes for three consecutive months;
	Mental health trusts which improve crisis access to mental health services will be able to access a flat 200,000 one-off payment.

NHS Budgets

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 26 February 2004, Official Report, column 548W, on NHS budgets, what the 37 million will be spent on.

John Hutton: 35.6 million of the estimated balance of 37 million has now been formally allocated to primary care trusts. Details are shown in the following table:
	
		Centrally funded initiatives and services and special allocations Budget
		
			  Allocations made since 6 February 2004 () 
		
		
			 ABC Project (Invest to Save) 50,000 
			 Audiology Services 804,000 
			 Cancer Network Support 426,000 
			 Choice Programme 32,000 
			 Commercial Director Feasibility Analysis 388,000 
			 Dangerous People with Severe Personality Disorders 3,000 
			 Distinction Awards 718,000 
			 Drug Market Response Group (Invest to Save) 413,000 
			 E-Harp (Invest to Save) 22,000 
			 Equality and Ethnic Minority Health 110,000 
			 Flu Vaccination Programme 12,780,000 
			 GP Recruitment and Retention 199,000 
			 High Security Psychiatric Services Central Element 450,000 
			 National Clinical Governance Support Team 1,170,000 
			 National Institute of Mental Health 40,000 
			 Neo-Natal Intensive Care National Audit 200,000 
			 NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management Service 22,000 
			 NHS Pay Modernisation 1,445,000 
			 Older People in the Community (Invest to Save) 116,000 
			 Palliative Care 74,000 
			 Premises Improvements 741,000 
			 Prescribing training for Nurses, Pharmacists and other Health Professionals 10,000 
			 Revascularisation 10,000 
			 Schedule 5Programme Budgeting 3,000 
			 Securing Recombinant Clotting Factors 11,890,000 
			 Service Improvement Teams 2,880,000 
			 Strategic Management and Support 1,804,000 
			 Waiting listsBooked Admissions 450,000 
			 Youth Services in Basset Law 52,000 
			 Total 35,602,000

NHS Treatment (Accession Citizens)

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate the Government has made of how many EU accession country citizens will make use of the NHS.

John Hutton: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Westbury (Dr. Murrison) on 23 February 2004, Official Report, column 279W.

NHS Treatment

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people sought medical assistance through the NHS between 1997 and 2003.

John Hutton: The tables show the number of patients admitting or starting a consultation in the following situations:
	General practitioner consultations,
	Walk-in-centre visits,
	Calls to NHS Direct,
	New attendances at accident and emergency,
	First outpatient attendances,
	Day case and overnight hospital admissions.
	These figures relate to the number of attendances or admissions and are not a count of the number of peoplesome patients may be admitted or attend a consultation on more than one occasion.
	
		Estimated total GP consultations(16) , (17)
		
			  All GP consultations (Million) 
		
		
			 1996 254 
			 1997  
			 1998 217 
			 1999  
			 2000 220 
			 2001 217 
		
	
	1 The population data used to calculate the estimated total numbers of consultations are revised mid year estimates from the ONS as at 27 February 2003. These figures are based on the 2001 census. 2 Consultation estimates are not available for 1997 and 1999. Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest million. Source: ONS General Household Survey and Mid year population estimates from the 2001 census.
	
		Contact with the NHS -- Thousand
		
			  Calls to NHS direct(16) Total visits to NHS walk-in centres(17) , (18) New attendances at A and E/minor injury units(19) First out-patient attendances(19) Day case admissions(20) , (21) Overnight hospital admissions(20) , (21) 
		
		
			 199697   12,484 11,294 2,623 1,749 
			 199798   12,794 11,529 2,765 1,695 
			 199899 110  12,811 11,778 3,122 1,756 
			 19992000 1,650  13,167 12,136 3,212 1,730 
			 200001 3,420 574 12,953 12,466 3,337 1,719 
			 200102 5,213 1,144 12,853 12,714 3,411 1,680 
			 200203 6,319 1,373 12,945 13,O32 3,618 1,702 
		
	
	(16) Figures are partially estimated.
	Sources:
	(17) Health Intelligence Unit, NHS Direct.
	(18) Walk-in centre activity reports.
	(19) KH09.
	(20) SaFFR. Data relates to General and Acute Specialities only, First Finished Consultant Episodes only.
	(21) Day case and over night admissions: Earlier SaFFR figures are from health authorities. With the abolition of health authorities, figures for 200102 and 200203 are based on returns from NHS trusts

Nursing Home Costs

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what financial contribution was provided by each local authority in England towards the cost of nursing home provision in each of the last five years.

Stephen Ladyman: Information on the gross expenditure on nursing care placements as reported by each council with social services responsibilities in England from 199899 to 200203, has been placed in the Library.

Osteoporosis

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the value of primary prevention of osteoporotic fracture.

Stephen Ladyman: The Government acknowledges the importance and value of primary prevention of osteoporotic fracture. That is why the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has accepted the appraisal committee's recommendation to address the prevention of fractures in post-menopausal women who have not yet had a fracture through their technology appraisal for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. This will inform recommendations on the clinical and cost effectiveness of treatments for primary prevention.
	NICE is also developing a clinical guideline to look at the assessment of fracture risk and the prevention of osteoporotic fractures in individuals at high risk. It will examine both interventions used to prevent an initial fracture and those used to prevent fractures where one has already occurred.

Out-of-hours Provision

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the ambulance service to play a role in the provision of out-of-hours emergency care.

Rosie Winterton: Where general practitioners opt out, primary care trusts (PCTs) will be able to consider a range of alternative providers; for example: NHS Direct, ambulance services, national health service walk-in centres, GP co-operatives or their successor organisations, paramedics and deputising services.
	This will allow the PCTs to plan and commission innovative and integrated services focusing on the most appropriate provider for the range of care required with an enhanced focus on the use of triage and skill-mix. The service is likely to be less reliant on doctors and make more use of nurses and others such as ambulance staff. Through this approach a flexible, more responsive service can be developed with staff trained to provide a range of interventions. This will provide a better service for patients.

Self-harm/Suicide (Young People)

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are being implemented under the National Suicide Prevention Strategy to reduce instances of self-harm in young people.

Rosie Winterton: The National Institute for Clinical Excellence is currently preparing guidelines for the management of self-harm in accident and emergency departments. This includes the services provided to children and young people. Once published, the National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE) will support local services in establishing procedures and services for people presenting at accident and emergency with self-harm.
	A risk assessment training package (STORM) focusing on self-harm is being piloted in two areas and in five prisons.
	NIMHE is supporting local mental health services in implementing the 12 points to a safer servicedeveloped from the work of the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicidewhich includes recommendations for patients who self-harm.

Self-harm/Suicide (Young People)

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has commissioned into (a) suicide and (b) deliberate self-harm in young people; and if he will make a statement on the findings of the research.

Rosie Winterton: A national collaborative is being established with Department of Health funding for the monitoring of deliberate self-harm (DSH), including that of young people. Through this monitoring it will be possible to estimate the number of suicides in the year following DSH and thereby inform suicide and deliberate self-harm strategies.
	The Department has recently funded a study of coroners' records covering different methods of suicide across the whole age range.
	The Department also funds the Oxford Monitoring System for Attempted Suicide. Its aims are to provide comprehensive monitoring of long-term trends in DSH; the identification of information (causes, risk factors and outcome) relevant to service provision for DSH patients; an evaluation of suicide prevention strategies; and specific research projects on DSH.
	In addition, mental health promotion pilots targeted at young men are being established in three areas, which, if successfully evaluated, will become part of the National Institute for Mental Health in England's mental health promotion work.

Self-harm/Suicide (Young People)

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many reported instances of deliberate self-harm there have been in people under 30 years old in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) age and (b) sex.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Self-harm/Suicide (Young People)

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the progress of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy in reducing the number of young people who commit suicide.

Rosie Winterton: The National Suicide Prevention Strategy for England annual report on progress 2003 sets out progress in implementing the strategy, including action taken to reduce suicide in young people. A copy of the report is available in the Library.

Seroxat

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether Seroxat is prescribed to children under 18.

Rosie Winterton: Paroxetine (Seroxat) is prescribed to patients under the age of 18 although it is not authorised for use in such patients. However, in the United Kingdom a doctor may prescribe outside the terms of a marketing authorisation on his/her own responsibility, if he/she considers that this is in the best interests of the patient and having informed him/herself of the benefits and risks of such an action.
	Following advice from the Committee on Safety of Medicines and its expert group on the safety of paroxetine and other Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency published summaries of clinical trial data relating to all SSRIs on 10 December 2003 in order that prescribes might make informed decisions.

Smoking

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the NHS's progress towards a world-leading smoking cessation service.

Melanie Johnson: The national health service stop smoking services, set up in 1999, are now well established across England and are a world-leading service. They provide expert advice and support, with nicotine replacement therapy and zyban available on prescription, to smokers wanting to quit. The Department of Health's monitoring results show that in the financial year 200203 the services helped around 124,100 people successfully quit (based on self report), at four week follow up.
	To evaluate the impact and effectiveness of the national health service stop smoking services, the Department of Health commissioned a team led by Glasgow University to carry out a comprehensive study.
	The first results of this evaluation was published in September 2003 as Bauld L et al. Impact of UK national health service smoking cessation services: variations in outcomes in England. Tobacco Control 2003; 12:296301. The key finding was that
	Well-developed, evidence-based NHS services, reflecting good practice, are yielding positive outcomes.
	The final results of the studies are due to be published in autumn 2004.
	A copy of this research is available in the Library.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Ambulance Services (Lisburn)

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the Ambulance Services (Lisburn) average journey time is for ambulances stationed at the Lagan Valley Hospital to respond to emergency calls in the Lisburn City area; and what plans he has to provide additional ambulance cover at the Lagan Valley hospital between the hours of 22.00 and 08.00 on Sunday to Thursday each week.

Angela Smith: The information is not available in the format requested. However, in the period 1 April 2003 to 29 February 2004, 69 per cent. of 999 calls in the Lisburn City area had a response within eight minutes.
	Ninety five percent had a response within 18 minutes. There are currently no plans to provide additional ambulance cover at Lisburn ambulance station, which is situated at Lagan Valley Hospital. Nonetheless, the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service and the Eastern Health and Social Services Board constantly review levels of cover and will redeploy resources as necessary.

Asthma

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate the (a) cost and (b) number of working days lost as a result of asthma in Northern Ireland in the last year for which figures are available.

Ian Pearson: Information regarding the cost and number of working days lost as a result of occupational asthma in Northern Ireland is not available. However, it is estimated that the total cost of work-related ill health in Northern Ireland could be as much as 330 million per year and that this accounts for an estimated 365,000 million working days lost each year. It is estimated that over 4,000 people in Northern Ireland are affected by asthma caused or made worse by work and that there are approximately 200 new cases each year.

Birth Statistics

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many births there were in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and how many there were in (a) 1994, (b) 1989 and (c) 1984.

Ian Pearson: The following table gives the number of births registered in Northern Ireland in 1984, 1989, 1994 and each year from 1998 to 2002.
	
		Number to registered births in Northern Ireland
		
			  Births Registered 
		
		
			 1984 27,693 
			 1989 26,080 
			 1994 24,289 
			 1998 23,861 
			 1999 23,173 
			 2000 21,768 
			 2001 22,251 
			 2002 21,772

Blood Donors

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many registered blood donors there are in Northern Ireland; what the equivalent figures were for each year since 2000; and if he will make a statement on the steps he is taking to increase such figures.

Angela Smith: In 200304 there were 69,837 active donors in Northern Ireland compared with 68,049 active donors in 200203.
	Due to changes in the interpretation of active donor numbers, comparable data are unavailable for previous years.
	The Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service has an ongoing promotional campaign, including advertising in newspapers and on radio and buses, to encourage existing donors and recruit new donors. Currently three mobile units operate each day and blood is also collected at the HQ facility. Opening hours at the HQ facility are to be extended to allow further opportunities to donate.

Civil Service

Seamus Mallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of Catholics there were in the senior civil service in the last period for which figures are available.

Ian Pearson: At 1 January 2004, the figure was 30 per cent.

Civil Service

Seamus Mallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with the Equality Commission on the exclusion of Irish nationals from senior Civil Service posts.

Ian Pearson: There have been no formal discussions between Ministers and the Equality Commission on this matter. Officials maintain contact with the Commission on a range of issues and on 27 August 2003, officials from the Department of Finance and Personnel met Commission staff for a general discussion on progress on the Senior Civil Service Review and Associated Action Plan. The discussion covered a range of issues, including the application of nationality rules to reserved posts.

Class Sizes

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average class size in (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools in Northern Ireland was in each year since 1997.

Jane Kennedy: The average class size is available only for primary schools. The figures are as follows:
	
		
			  Average class size 
		
		
			 199798 23.7 
			 199899 24.0 
			 19992000 23.8 
			 200001 23.7 
			 200102 23.4 
			 200203 23.3 
			 200304 23.1

Compulsory Retirement (NHS)

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  which NHS health trusts have a policy of compulsory retirement at 65 years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what his policy is on enforced retirement of health service employees on account of age.

Angela Smith: None of the Health and Social Services Trusts in Northern Ireland operates a policy of compulsory retirement at 65 years. However, most HPSS employment contracts stipulate 65 years as the normal retirement age.
	This does not preclude staff from working beyond the normal retirement age in the interests of service provision and at the discretion of the Trust. Individuals wishing to continue to work after age 65 years must be both mentally and physically able to carry out the full duties of the post.

Consultant Obstetricians

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the merits of publishing (a) caesarean rates and (b) general outcomes for individual consultant obstetricians in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: Information on caesarean section rates in Northern Ireland is maintained on the Child Health Systems of the four Health and Social Services Boards. This information is routinely available on request, but there are no plans at present for wider publication.
	There are no plans to make information on caesarean section rates for individual consultant obstetricians in Northern Ireland routinely available. Casemix issues and other factors can render the publication of such information unreliable as an indicator of performance and can invite inappropriate comparisons of individual rates of caesarean section.

Counterfeit Crime

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what quantities of counterfeit goods were seized by the police in Northern Ireland in each year since 1997.

Jane Kennedy: The quantities of counterfeit goods which have been seized by the Police in Northern Ireland since April 1998 are contained in the following table. Seizures for 200304 are recorded until 29 February 2004. Details are not available for the quantities of counterfeit goods seized in 199798 and 200001.
	
		
			  number of items seized 
			 Description of items 199899 19992000 200102 200203 200304 
		
		
			 Music CDs/cassettes/MP3 3,902 11,126 29,564 63,250 80,500 
			 Video tapes/DVDs/VCDs 3,092 4,424 28,795 28,680 40,000 
			 Clothing 5,518 5,116 22,489 27,370 35,000 
			 Electronic Games  51,090 28,000 36,850 15,000 
			 Watches Perfume/Sunglasses 136 280 5,560 1,200 500 
			 Computer and associated equipment Video recorders/copiers 16 50 178 150 350 
			 Computer software9,380 5,000 
			 Power tools2,500 1,000 
			 Drink 30,000

Counterfeit Crime

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what resources are available to (a) the police in Northern Ireland and (b) other agencies to tackle the problem of counterfeit crime in Northern Ireland.

Jane Kennedy: It is not possible to distill out the amount of resources specifically expended on tackling Intellectual Property Crime (IPC) throughout Northern Ireland. Confronting IPC is a priority for the Northern Ireland Organised Crime Task Force and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) take lead responsibility. The budget available to PSNI for 200304 is 707.7 million.

Drug Addicts

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many drug addicts received drug rehabilitation treatment in Northern Ireland in each year since 2000.

Angela Smith: The information is not available in the format requested.

Drug Addicts

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much funding was allocated to drug rehabilitation in Northern Ireland in each year since 2000; and if he will make a statement on the provision of drug rehabilitation in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: The information requested on funding for drug rehabilitation is not available.
	While the majority of drug rehabilitation can and does take place in the community as part of an overall community care and rehabilitation programme, there is also the more intensive programme of residential rehabilitation. Provision also exists within each Board area to refer individuals to rehabilitation centres outside Northern Ireland if appropriate. Research to assess the level of need and demand for such a service here remains a priority.

Fire Stations

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the decision by the Chief Fire Officer for Northern Ireland, to issue a directive on (a) the flying of the Union flag outside fire stations and (b) the removal of portraits of Her Majesty the Queen from inside stations.

Angela Smith: The information requested is as follows.
	(a) The Chief Fire Officer issued a circular on 18 December 2003 which outlined the dates on which the Union Flag would be flown at Fire Brigade Headquarters. The circular indicated that the Union Flag is to be flown on the same dates as at Government buildings, and at Brigade Headquarters only.
	(b) The circular also stated that the Authority had revised its arrangements for the display of the portrait of Her Majesty the Queen, and had decided that no portraits should be on display in any Brigade premises other than its Headquarters.
	Responsibility for these matters belongs to the Authority and to the Chief Fire Officer. The circular is in line with best practice and guidance for the public sector and with Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.

Infant Deaths

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many suspicious deaths of infants there were in the Newtownabbey police area in each year since 2000, broken down by the stage the investigation has reached.

Jane Kennedy: The Child Abuse and Rape Enquiry Unit (CARE) in Newtownabbey review all reports of sudden infant deaths. In 2001 one death was referred to the Coroner and in 2002 two deaths were referred; the Coroner directed no further action in all three cases. In 2003 one death was investigated and the matter has been referred to the Department of Public Prosecutions for direction.

Invest Northern Ireland

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how much IDB/InvestNI land has been sold in each of the last 15 years, broken down by (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) council area; and what amount of this land remains (i) zoned and (ii) used for industrial purposes;
	(2)  how many IDB/InvestNI-owned sites have been sold in each of the last 15 years, broken down by (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) council area; and how many of these sites remain (i) zoned and (ii) used for industrial purposes.

Ian Pearson: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Irish Fertilizer Industries

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will urgently raise through the normal channels of North/South contact the situation of the former employees of Irish Fertilizer Industries based in Northern Ireland (Richardson's), in respect of their expectations of receiving pension entitlement; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: I have raised the pension entitlement issue with the Irish Fertilizer Industries shareholders on a number of occasions. The Trustees appointed to manage the fund following closure have now lodged a debt with the liquidator and this is being considered as part of the overall liquidation process. I will write to the shareholders to express my continued concerns.

Irish Republican Army

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland about arresting people for belonging to the IRA; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The Secretary of State meets the Chief Constable on a regular basis to discuss a range of security matters including those relating to membership of proscribed organisations.

Male Teenage Suicides

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action is being taken to address suicide among male teenagers; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The promoting Mental Health Strategy and Action Plan launched last year includes a specific section on preventing suicide. A range of preventive measures are being taken under the strategy including promoting coping skills, suicide awareness and outreach work with young people in areas of need and especially young men. Action is also being taken under the drug and alcohol strategies to offer support and counselling to young men affected by addiction difficulties.

Manufacturing

David Trimble: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many jobs have been (a) lost and (b) created in the manufacturing sector in Northern Ireland during the last five years.

Ian Pearson: Over the last five years, to 5 March 2004, there were 19,058 redundancies in the manufacturing sector in Northern Ireland confirmed to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment.
	Information on the number of jobs created is not available. However, figures from the Northern Ireland Quarterly Employment Survey (QES) can be used to estimate the net change in employee jobs during the last five years. Latest figures from the QES show that in September 2003 there were 91,830 employee jobs in manufacturing. This represents a decrease of 16,010 (-14.8 per cent.) from the September 1998 figure of 107,840. Over the same five year period there has been a net increase of 51,790 (8.4 per cent.) in the total number of employee jobs in Northern Ireland, which at September 2003 was estimated to be 667,050, the highest September employee jobs figure on record.

Medical Negligence

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what costs to public funds resulted from medical negligence in each of the last 10 years.

Angela Smith: Information in relation to each of the last five years is as follows. The information relating to the previous five years is not readily available in the form requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	
		Amounts paid in settlements for clinical negligence claims from 199899 to 200203
		
			  000 
		
		
			 199899 12,286 
			 19992000 4,859 
			 200001 9,409 
			 200102 7,415 
			 200203 13,550

Mental Health

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to improve child and adolescent psychiatry services before the report from the review of mental health.

Angela Smith: 4 million is being made available for a new purpose built 1618 bedded unit for child and adolescent inpatient services. An outline business case is at present being considered by the Department. It is proposed that a further 10 child and adolescent beds are provided in the west of the province. Two Trusts have submitted business cases which are currently being considered.
	Priorities for Action 200304 requires Boards and Trusts to develop child and adolescent community mental health services, especially those services that reduce demand for in-patient services. A Regional Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services Development Group has been proposed to oversee the implementation of a regional commissioning statement in respect of all four tiers of services in Northern Ireland.

Midwives

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many midwifery vacancies there are in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: The information requested is as follows in the table.
	
		Number of midwifery vacancies (including long-term vacancies) within all trusts as at 30September 2003
		
			 Trust Headcount WTE(22) 
		
		
			 Altnagelvin Group HSS Trust 4 4.00 
			 Armagh and Dungannon HSS Trust 0 0.00 
			 Belfast City Hospital HSS Trust 0 0.00 
			 Causeway HSS Trust 0 0.00 
			 Craigavon and Banbridge Comm. HSS Trust 0 0.00 
			 Craigavon Area Hospital Group HSS Trust 3 3.00 
			 Down Lisburn HSS Trust 0 0.00 
			 Foyle Community HSS Trust 0 0.00 
			 Greenpark Healthcare HSS Trust 0 0.00 
			 Homefirst Community HSS Trust 0 0.00 
			 Mater Infirmorum Hospital HSS Trust 0 0.00 
			 Newry and Moume HSS Trust 0 0.00 
			 North and West Belfast HSS Trust 0 0.00 
			 Royal Group of Hospitals HSS Trust 1 0.55 
			 South and East Belfast HSS Trust 0 0.00 
			 Sperrin Lakeland HSS Trust 0 0.00 
			 Ulster Comm. and Hosp. Group HSS Trust 0 0.00 
			 United Hospitals Group HSS Trust 3 3.00 
			 Total 11 10.55 
		
	
	(22) Whole Time Equivalent
	
		Number of long-term (vacant more than three months) midwifery vacancies within all trusts as at 30September 2003
		
			 Trust Headcount WTE(23) 
		
		
			 Altnagelvin Group HSS Trust 2 2.00 
			 Armagh and Dungannon HSS Trust 0 0.00 
			 Belfast City Hospital HSS Trust 0 0.00 
			 Causeway HSS Trust 0 0.00 
			 Craigavon and Banbridge Comm. HSS Trust 0 0.00 
			 Craigavon Area Hospital Group HSS Trust 2 2.00 
			 Down Lisburn HSS Trust 0 0.00 
			 Foyle Community HSS Trust 0 0.00 
			 Greenpark Healthcare HSS Trust 0 0.00 
			 Homefirst Community HSS Trust 0 0.00 
			 Mater Infirmorum Hospital HSS Trust 0 0.00 
			 Newry and Moume HSS Trust 0 0.00 
			 North and West Belfast HSS Trust 0 0.00 
			 Royal Group of Hospitals HSS Trust 0 0.00 
			 South and East Belfast HSS Trust 0 0.00 
			 Sperrin Lakeland HSS Trust 0 0.00 
			 Ulster Comm. and Hosp. Group HSS Trust 0 0.00 
			 United Hospitals Group HSS Trust 0 0.00 
			 Total 4 4.00 
		
	
	(23) Whole Time Equivalent

Newpin

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will allocate the Newpin charitable organisation 30,000 to cover core services for the coming year; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: Newpin in Northern Ireland is in the process of establishing as a new company. Until the position on the status of the organisation has been resolved, DHSSPS is not in a position to allocate any funding to cover core services for the coming year.

Newpin

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what funding was provided to the Newpin charitable organisation in each year since 1996.

Angela Smith: The accounts for the Northern Ireland Newpin office are managed centrally by National Newpin in London and it has, therefore, not been possible to provide a breakdown of the separate sources of funding for the Northern Ireland Newpin office.
	Details of the funding provided to Foyle Newpin and Rathcoole Newpin since 1996 are as follows.
	
		
			 Source of funding Amount () 
		
		
			 Foyle Newpin  
			 199596  
			 Western Health and Social Services Board 20,000 
			   
			 199697  
			 Western Health and Social Services Board 20,000 
			   
			 199798  
			 Western Health and Social Services Board 44,000 
			 Save the Children Fund 15,000 
			   
			 199899  
			 Western Health and Social Services Board 44,000 
			 Children in Need 16,038 
			 EU Childhood Fund 7,573 
			 Save the Children Fund 18,000 
			   
			 19992000  
			 Western Health and Social Services Board 66,000 
			 200001  
			 Western Health and Social Services Board 68,000 
			   
			 200102  
			 Western Health and Social Services Board 70,000 
			   
			 200203  
			 Western Health and Social Services Board 72,152 
			 Londonderry Regeneration Initiative 14,800 
			 Community Fund NI 22,763 
			   
			 200304  
			 Western Health and Social Services Board 75,000 
			   
			 Rathcoole Newpin  
			 199596  
			 Northern Health and Social Services Board 20,000 
			   
			 199697  
			 Northern Health and Social Services Board 20,000 
			 International Fund for Ireland 19,200 
			   
			 199798  
			 Northern Health and Social Services Board 51,380 
			 International Fund for Ireland 40,800 
			   
			 199899  
			 Northern Health and Social Services Board 62,332 
			 International Fund for Ireland 40,000 
			   
			 19992000  
			 Northern Health and Social Services Board 70,000 
			   
			 200001  
			 Northern Health and Social Services Board 74,500 
			   
			 200102  
			 Northern Health and Social Services Board 78,798 
			   
			 200203  
			 Northern Health and Social Services Board 83,711 
			   
			 200304  
			 Northern Health and Social Services Board 85,700

Northern Ireland Assembly

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what additional duties will be the responsibility of the Deputy Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly as a result of the recent resignation of the Speaker.

John Spellar: Section 39(4) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 provides that when the office of Speaker (Presiding Officer) is vacant, his functions may be exercised by a deputy. The functions of the Speaker may therefore be exercised by a Deputy Speaker, following the resignation of Lord Alderdice. During suspension those functions are confined to those arising under the provisions of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, and relate principally to the resignation of members of the Assembly, and the notification of vacancies.

Nursing

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many nursing vacancies there are in North and West Belfast Trust.

Angela Smith: I refer the hon. Lady to the answer I gave on 23 February 2004, Official Report, column 166W.

Nursing

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many nurses from North and West Belfast Health Trust (a) were forced to retire on account of age within the last year and (b) have been informed that they will have to retire because they are 65-years-old.

Angela Smith: The information is as follows.
	(a) None
	(b) Three Bank Nurses in the Trust were advised that they would be required to retire at the age of 65 years in accordance with the express term in their contracts of employment.
	However, all three staff have subsequently had their employment contracts extended to enable the Trust to develop a Trust-wide policy to address the issue of staff working beyond 65 years.

Teacher-Pupil Ratios

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) primary school and (b) secondary school teachers there were per pupil of the relevant age group in Northern Ireland in each year since 1997.

Jane Kennedy: The pupil:teacher ratios since 1997 are as follows:
	
		
			  Primary schools Prep. Departments Post-primary schools 
		
		
			 199798 20.4 18.7 14.8 
			 199899 20.6 17.3 14.9 
			 19992000 20.4 17.5 14.7 
			 200101 20.2 16.6 14.5 
			 200102 19.9 16.9 14.4 
			 200203 19.7 17.2 14.4

Teenage Pregnancies

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate the cost resulting from teenage pregnancies in Northern Ireland in the last year for which figures are available.

Angela Smith: The estimated annual cost of teenage pregnancies is 27 million. This is made up of an estimated 24 million in Social Security Benefits and administration plus tax revenue foregone over 1 years, together with 2.5 million direct hospital delivery costs, and an estimated 0.5 million on actions aimed at reducing the number of teenage pregnancies.

Voluntary Sector

Seamus Mallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the review of funding of the voluntary sector; and when policy emerging from that review is likely to be implemented.

John Spellar: In acknowledgment of the concerns around the longer term sustainability of the voluntary and community sector the Government established a Task Force on Resourcing the Voluntary and Community Sector in Northern Ireland in February 2003. Membership of the Task Force consists of representatives from the statutory sector and a number of independent members.
	Under its Terms of Reference, the Task Force has been asked to identify action to be taken to ensure that the voluntary and community sector can continue to make a substantial contribution to the achievement of Government objectives and to the well-being of the Northern Ireland community. It will also seek to identify the impact of impending changes to funding programmes and actions which may be necessary to diversify support for the sector, in the context of an agreed definition of sustainability.
	The Task Force established Working Groups comprising key stakeholders to consider themes important to both Government and the voluntary and community sector. It also took account of submissions received and commissioned research to compile their Position Paper, Pathways for Change, which was published in December 2003. The document has been the subject of widespread public consultation which will conclude on 26 March 2004. Final recommendations from the Task Force will be available in early summer.
	Until these recommendations have been received it is not possible to comment on any policy which may emerge or an implementation date.

Voluntary Sector

Seamus Mallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for what reasons the basis for core funding of ethnic minority voluntary groups has been changed to a one year cycle.

John Spellar: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Hull North (Mr. McNamara) on 4 February 2004, Official Report, column 945W.

Voluntary Sector

Seamus Mallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether an equality impact assessment has been carried out on funding policy for ethnic minority voluntary groups.

John Spellar: The funding scheme for minority ethnic voluntary organisations was not the subject of an equality impact assessment when it was established in April 2001.
	In the event of any change to the policy of the existing scheme, in light of the new Race Equality Strategy, it will be subject to assessment under section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.

Waiting Times

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the waiting times for appointments were at (a) ophthalmology and (b) ear, nose and throat clinics in the (i) Down Lisburn Trust, (ii) South and East Belfast Trust, (iii) North and West Belfast Trust and (iv) Ulster Community and Hospital Trust.

Angela Smith: North and West Belfast Trust and South and East Belfast Trust do not hold out-patient clinics for the Ophthalmology and Ear, Nose and Throat specialties. Patients from these areas in Belfast would routinely attend Ophthalmology or Ear, Nose and Throat outpatient clinics at Royal Group of Hospitals HSS Trust, Belfast City Hospital HSS Trust, Mater Infirmorum Hospital HSS Trust or Ulster Community and Hospitals trust.
	The numbers waiting for first out-patient appointment to the Ophthalmology and Ear, Nose and Throat specialties are as follows.
	
		Number waiting for first out-patient appointment in the Ear, Nose and Throat specialty, quarter ending 31December 2003, by trust
		
			  Months waiting for first out-patient appointment 
			 Trust 02 311 1217 1823 24+ Total waiting 
		
		
			 Royal Group of Hospitals HSS 921 1,589 582 123 65 3,280 
			 Belfast City Hospital HSS Trust 566 338 60 9 5 978 
			 Ulster Community and Hospitals HSS Trust 981 416 9 1 0 1,407 
			 Down and Lisburn HSS Trust 442 458 78 64 21 1,063 
			 Mater Infirmorum Hospital HSS Trust 348 334 20 2 1 705 
			 United Hospitals Group HSS Trust 1,281 2,800 1,180 448 561 6,270 
			 Craigavon Area Hospital Group HSS Trust 719 817 93 53 12 1,694 
			 Newry and Mourne HSS Trust 311 518 183 152 62 1,226 
			 Armagh and Dungannon HSS Trust 80 165 22 0 0 267 
			 Altnagelvin Hospitals HSS Trust 663 937 75 7 5 1,687 
			 Sperrin Lakeland HSS Trust 678 531 2 1 0 1,212 
		
	
	Source:
	CH3 Part 12.
	
		Number waiting for first out-patient appointment in the Ophthalmology specialty, quarter ending 31December 2003, by trust
		
			  Months waiting for first out-patient appointment 
			 Trust 02 35 68 911 1214 Total waiting 
		
		
			 Royal Group of Hospitals HSS 1,950 2,433 305 64 29 4,781 
			 Belfast City Hospital HSS Trust 115 78 7 2 0 202 
			 Ulster Community  Hospitals HSS Trust 841 1,006 265 55 90 2,257 
			 Down and Lisburn HSS Trust 244 373 114 6 1 738 
			 Mater Infirmorum Hospital HSS Trust 660 410 2 2 1 1,075 
			 Craigavon Area Hospital Group HSS Trust 463 1,043 227 98 40 1,871 
			 Newry and Mourne HSS Trust 251 451 156 97 180 1,135 
			 Armagh and Dungannon HSS Trust 135 210 80 74 33 532 
			 Altnagelvin Hospitals HSS Trust 1,251 2,139 583 254 167 4,394 
		
	
	Source:
	CH3 Part 1  2.